I Need You
by Lena108
Summary: With his divorce underway, Tohma is kicked out of his house and has to stay with a friend, namely Ryuichi. During his visit there he slowly begins to realize things about himself that he had never known before. TohmaRyuichi. Name error in Ch.1 fixed.
1. Chapter 1

I Need You

By: Lily (Lena) Evans

Summary: With his divorce underway, Tohma is kicked out of his house and has to stay with a friend, namely Ryuichi. During his visit there he slowly begins to realize things about himself that he had never known before.

Pairings (for now): Tohma/Ryuichi. Mentions of Shuichi/Eiri and a one-sided Tohma/Eiri. Maybe others later on.

Rating: PG-13 (may go up or down, depending on if I change my plan)

Genre: Romance

Warnings: Yaoi (duh), most likely OOC-ness (let me know if there is and I'll fix it) … that's all… for now.

Disclaimer: Gravitation is not mine. Note the word _fan_fic.

A/N: Almost finished with my ramblings. A Tohma/Ryuichi fic. I've wanted to do one of these for a while, but never really got around to it. This is my first Gravi fic, but please tell me if I am characterizing somebody wrong. I have only seen a few episodes, and those were in English. So, now that I am finished with that…Read and Review please!

__

Please remember how I feel about you  
I could never really live without you  
So, come on back and see just what you mean to me  
I need you

The alarm clock blared, sounding like a truck backing into the nearly empty room. Shuichi quickly sat up, rubbing his eyes. Yuki always had to set the alarm to wake him up, or he would be late for work. Shuichi looked around, Yuki must already be in his study. Oh well! The pink haired boy began humming as he grabbed his clothes, ready to take a quick shower, remembering what had happened to him the previous night… Shuichi giggled. Nothing could go wrong today!

Tohma, on the other hand, who was already at the office, did not share the same feelings as the lead singer for Bad Luck. Mika had dropped divorce papers on his desk earlier and then left without a word, despite him calling her back. Sakano had also come in, pleading for him to pardon Shindou's inexcusable tardiness in finishing the new lyrics. It also seemed that the members of Nittle Grasper were on a term of writer's block. Tohma simply did not have the time or patience to deal with all of it.

A crashing sound reached his office from the recording studio. Tohma put his head on his desk, figuring it was Shuichi. He either broke up with Eiri, or they had hot sex the night before and Shuichi was going to gloat. Tohma felt a slight pang of both jealousy and guilt. Had it not been Tohma who had always been there for him? Yet, he chose the obnoxious singer instead of him.

Realization suddenly dawned on why Mika had filed for a divorce. So _she_ was jealous of the attention Tohma was paying to Eiri that should have been directed at her. It was not like he could help it, he just felt he had to protect Eiri. Tohma sighed, this all _had_ to happen in one day, too. Especially the day that Bad Luck was set to record another album.

More crashing resounded, and Tohma figured it was either K, shooting wildly, trying to get the singer to calm down, only scaring him more. Alternatively, it could have been Suguru, who was ready to kill the singer. Tohma shut his eyes and shook his head.

Suddenly, a pink bunny was sitting on his desk, staring at him intently. Tohma was surprised at the sudden appearance of the stuffed toy, but immediately knew whom it belonged to.

"Hello, Ryuichi," Tohma said forcing a smile. "Hi Kumagoro." He had always made sure to include the toy in conversations. He had felt Ryuichi's wrath only once, but did not want to again. It was painful.

"Hi To-Chan," Ryuichi said, bouncing up from behind his desk.

"I asked you both to knock the next time you wanted to come in," Tohma told his friend. Ryuichi's eyes filled with tears.

"I-I'm sorry, To-chan," Ryuichi sniffled. "B-but, Kuma-chan wanted to see you. He said you were sad." Tohma smiled his trademark smile.

"Why would I be sad?" he asked his friend. "I'm perfectly fine." Ryuichi cocked his head to the side.

"No, you're not," he said. "Tohma lied to us, Kumagoro!" He began sniffling as though he were going to cry again.

"Ryuichi," Tohma said. "I promise, I'll be okay." Ryuichi looked at Kumagoro, expecting to get assurance from the stuffed animal.

"Okay," Ryuichi said. "But you better be okay by the end of today."

"Like I said," Tohma told him. "I promise." The smile left his face as soon as the singer left the room. He knew Ryuichi was only trying to help, but it only gave him a headache, which did not help his mood. He popped open one of the drawers on his desk, getting out a bottle of aspirin, only to find out that it was empty. He tossed it across the room, feeling frustrated.

That night he went home, having signed what he had to on the divorce papers, and presented them to Mika. She immediately snatched them away from him, looking them over. She then promptly slammed the door in his face. Tohma felt his anger rise but kept his cool.

"Mika-san—" he started, trying to think of a way to get her to open the door.

"It's Uesagi-san to you," she snapped through the door. "And I don't want to speak to you, Tohma."

"Mika, where do you expect me to go?" he asked, trying to sound as sweet as he possibly could.

"Why don't you go to _Eiri's_?" she asked bitterly. So he was right, that was what the divorce was about.

"What do you mean, Mika-san?"

"I told you not to call me that," she snapped. "If you're so desperate, go ask one of your friends to stay at their house. I'm sure Ryuichi would be happy to have a, um, sleepover with you." Tohma heaved a sigh and, with one last glance at his house, he walked off into no particular direction.

She had actually stooped as low as to throw him out of _his_ house. The house_ he_ paid for. He was going to take his keys with him the next time he got the chance to go back home. For now… well, he would just have to improvise, wouldn't he?

He finally decided, against his better judgment of course, to ask Ryuichi for a place to stay. It was not like he did not like Ryuichi, no, far from it. The singer was his best friend, after all. He just… bothered him sometimes. No, that felt mean, especially when Ryuichi only meant to help him.

Ryuichi answered the bell almost too enthusiastically. He glomped Tohma on the doorstep the second he opened the door. Tohma felt himself go limp under the singer's weight.

"To-chan! To-chan!" Ryuichi squealed as he hugged his friend.

"Yes," Tohma said, now struggling to breathe. "Thank you for the, uh, warm welcome, Ryuichi." He was finally able to push the ecstatic singer off of him and walk inside.

"You stay there," Ryuichi commanded. "I'll get your bags."

"Um, I don't have any," Tohma said. Ryuichi looked confused.

"No bags, na no da?" he cocked his head to the side. "But, I thought you were going to stay with us!" Ryuichi began to cry again.

"I'm staying," Tohma assured him. "I just don't have anything with me. Mika threw me out of the house." Ryuichi suddenly became very motherly-like.

"Then that won't do at all, To-chan!" Ryuichi said, shaking a finger in Tohma's face. "We'll have to let you wear my clothes tomorrow."

"Or," Tohma said, desperately trying to find an alternative solution. "We could do laundry tonight."

"Okay," Ryuichi said. "Then you need to get undressed!"

"Huh?"

"We can't do your laundry if you're wearing your clothes, silly," Ryuichi smiled. "You can wear some of my clothes!"

"All right," Tohma said, smiling. "Thanks Ryuichi." Ryuichi dragged Tohma to his room and began throwing clothes out of his closet, trying to find something that might fit his friend.

"Here!" he said, holding up a pair of pink pants with hearts on them and a pink shirt with a large heart in the middle. Tohma sweatdropped.

"Let's see if there's anything else," Tohma suggested. Ryuichi shrugged and threw the clothes behind him, looking for something else.

Finally they had found an outfit for Tohma to wear, but Ryuichi was still not satisfied.

"To-chan," he said. "I need to wash your underwear too." Tohma stared at him.

"What?"

"Well, you don't want to be wearing them tomorrow if I haven't washed them, do you?" Ryuichi smiled, putting his finger in the air as though stating something out of a science magazine.

"That's true," Tohma said. "What will I wear in the meantime?"

"You can wear mine!" Tohma nearly fell over.

"Ryuichi…"

"They're clean," Ryuichi stated. "You need clean underwear!" He had a point, so Tohma gave in and went to the bathroom to change. It felt rather odd wearing his best friend's underwear, but he decided that the laundry would be done in no time.

Tohma sighed, of all days that he decided not to wear his favorite coat. At least he had worn his hat. However, he did not want to wear his green suit again. Ryuichi had made up a bed for Tohma on the couch, though all of the blankets were pink.

The singer silently crept up on his friend and glomped him. Tohma fell over on the couch, not noticing Ryuichi's presence beforehand. Ryuichi was squealing about a sleepover.

"Yay! To-chan's going to stay with us!" he sang to Kumagoro, who was pinned between them. Finally, to Tohma's relief, he released his grip on the keyboardist and snuggled up next to him. "Let's watch a movie, To-chan."

"Ryuichi, I really should get to sleep," Tohma told him. "I have to work tomorrow." Ryuichi shook his head.

"No," he said. "You aren't going to work tomorrow. To-chan has been overworking himself."

"Ryuichi…"

"No," the singer repeated. "You will stay here and rest. Ryuichi will cook you breakfast and Kumagoro will call K-san and Sakano-san and ask them to take over." Tohma felt reluctance. He knew of K's violent nature and was afraid he might kill somebody… like Sakano.

"Ryuichi, I can't," Tohma told him. Ryuichi shook his head. It was clear that he was not going to give up.

"To-chan will stay here," Ryuichi said stubbornly. "Even if Ryuichi has to make sure of it himself." Tohma smiled slightly.

"Very well," he said. "Only one day, though." Tohma did not want to think of what would happen if K and Sakano took over for more than one day.

"Yay!" Ryuichi glomped his band mate once more. "Movie, movie, movie, movie, movie, movie…" Tohma attempted to tune out the hyperactive singer, who was now chanting for them to watch a movie.

"Which movie?" Tohma asked, feeling slightly relieved.

"Oh, oh!" Ryuichi obviously had a movie in mind. He switched on a movie that was already in the VCR. "It's starting. Shh!" Tohma closed his eyes and smiled. Ryuichi was already glued to the movie. "Popcorn!" The singer ran into the kitchen, put some popcorn in the microwave, and sat back down. When it was ready he ran to the kitchen, grabbed the bag, and sat down next to Tohma again, all without missing five seconds of the movie.

Tohma realized that it was a violent movie, something American, he was not sure what. Ryuichi clung to him most of the time, afraid of what was going to happen next. When Tohma's cell phone rang Ryuichi jumped up a foot in the air, spilling the popcorn all over Tohma's 'bed'. Tohma answered the phone.

"Tohma?" It was Tatsuha. "Did Mika throw you out of the house? Boy, that sucks. Do you need someplace to stay?"

"No, thanks Tatsuha," Tohma said. "I have somewhere to stay."

"Where?" Tohma had a feeling this was the exact reason Tatsuha called.

"At Ryuichi's," Tohma stated, regretting it instantly after he said it.

"Why don't I come over and keep you both company?" he asked enthusiastically. "You just have to tell me where it is…" Tohma hung up the phone and turned it off. He did not want to deal with the sixteen year-old, especially one like… that.

"Who was that?" Ryuichi asked, his eyes never leaving the television set. He had returned from the kitchen carrying a new bag of popcorn.

"Tatsuha," Tohma explained.

"Who?" Ryuichi looked confused.

"Eiri's younger brother," Tohma explained.

"Oh, him," Ryuichi said. "Okay." He yawned and laid his head in Tohma's lap, still watching the movie. He went to sleep a short while after that. Tohma, though not in a very comfortable position, felt himself nod off as well.

Tohma opened his eyes to see Kumagoro on his lap. This startled him until he remembered where he was. He glanced at the clock and had to do a double take. 11:30!

"Good morning sleepy head!" Ryuichi sang. He was holding a breakfast tray with sausage, pancakes, bacon, and orange juice. "You slept for a long time, na no da."

"Why didn't you wake me up?" Tohma asked feeling irritated.

"Because you're not going to work today, silly," Ryuichi reminded him, putting the tray down on the coffee table. "Now, eat. You're getting skinny."

"Ryuichi, I—"

"Eat," the singer commanded, snatching up Kumagoro.

"Where's my phone?"

"I took it from you," Ryuichi answered. "You shouldn't work at all today. You need your rest and relaxation."

"I need my phone," Tohma said.

"No you don't," Ryuichi told him. "You turned it off last night." Tohma sighed, it was true.

"I need it today," he said.

"You're not working," Ryuichi said. "No you don't."

"What if Mika calls?" he asked.

"I'll answer it," Ryuichi told him. "I turned it back on."

"Where is it?"

"I'm not telling." The singer began dancing and waltzed with Kumagoro out of the living room.

"I don't believe this," Tohma sighed. "I'm going for a walk." He heard Ryuichi start singing in the next room.

"I'm going for a walk," Tohma said, a little louder. Ryuichi poked his head into the room.

"Okie dokie," he said. "K-san won't let you into the studio if you tried, so I'm not worried." Tohma sighed, slipped on his shoes, and walked out the door.

It was a while until he realized he was still wearing Ryuichi's clothes. Deciding not to go back, he figured he would live with it. He stopped across the street from NG. He could have sworn he heard crashing sounds and gunshots inside. He shoved his hands in his pockets and walked away, trying not to think about what K and Sakano were doing to his precious company.

He turned around and ran straight into a woman. Her purse fell to the ground and all of her things fell out onto the sidewalk.

"I'm sorry," he said, stooping to help her pick up her makeup and whatnot.

"No, it's okay," she said. "Oh!" She stopped shoving things into her purse to study him.

"Yes?" he asked.

"You're a cutie," she stated. Tohma was taken aback. "I bet you know you are, too."

"Um…" he felt himself go slightly red. Her Japanese was not very good, so he figured she must be a tourist.

"I'm Karen," she said, putting out her hand.

"Tohma Seguchi," he said.

"Really?" she asked with a mischievous glint in her eye. "I've heard about you. The most feared man in all of Tokyo."

"What?" he asked, not knowing that _that_ many people were afraid of him.

"Oh, yeah," she said. "I hear you can get anybody fired."

"I suppose so," he said.

"So, do you want to have dinner with me tonight?" she asked.

"I'm sorry, but—"

"Great," she said. "I'll see you later then. Or, are you really gay?" Tohma narrowed his eyes.

"What?" he asked. "I beg your pardon?"

"So you're not?" she asked excitedly. "Good, I'll see you tonight!" With that she ran off, leaving him feeling dumbfounded.

"What was that?" he asked himself. He sighed.

He decided not to worry about it, she had not even asked where he lived or told him a place to meet. She must have been one of those fangirls. He sighed and decided he was better off at Ryuichi's house.

END CH. 1

A/N: Okay, that's it so far. Tell me what you guys think. It's my first Gravi fic, so help me out here. Also, can somebody explain the chan's, san's, and whatnot? I really don't understand what to do with them and I'm hoping I got them right in this chapter. Thanks!


	2. Chapter 2

I Need You

By: Lily (Lena) Evans

Summary: With his divorce underway Tohma is forced to stay at a friend's house, namely Ryuichi. During his stay there, he slowly begins to realize things about himself that he had never known before.

Pairings (for now): Tohma/Ryuichi. Other couples include Eiri/Shuichi and a one-sided Tohma/Eiri.

Rating: PG-13 (may go up or down, depending on if I change my plan)

Genre: Romance

Warnings: Yaoi (duh), most likely OOC-ness … that is all… for now.

Disclaimer: Gravitation is not mine. Note the word _fan_fic.

A/N: Okay, I guess I'll continue this. There will be a bit more of a romantic interaction between the two of them in this chapter. Also, more Mika bitchiness.

_Please remember how I feel about you  
I could never really live without you  
So, come on back and see just what you mean to me  
I need you_

Tohma was actually feeling more relaxed on his day off then he thought he would be. However, when he thought about all of the extra paperwork and damage repairs made him feel depressed and no longer relaxed. Ryuichi seemed to notice this, and he vowed that Tohma would not be going back to work until he was relaxed.

"What do you want for dinner, To-chan?" Ryuichi asked. Tohma shrugged.

"It doesn't matter, Ryuichi," he said, still feeling depressed about the state his company was in. His thoughts were broken when the bell rang.

"I'll get it!" Ryuichi said. He ordered Kumagoro to watch for the water to boil while he answered the door. "To-chan… it's for you." Tohma, feeling confused, walked to the door. His first thought was of Mika, which turned out to be correct.

"I figured you would be here," Mika said, standing in the doorway. She looked very angry.

"Yes, Mika-san?" he asked.

"We have a court date in about a month," she said, taking him aback.

"A court date?" he asked. "Why?"

"That will all be explained in court," she said. She turned on her heel and stalked away to her car. Tohma heard it zoom off.

"Yeah," he said, feeling even more depressed. "I'll bet she was having an affair with some other guy." He was feeling very bitter.

"To-chan?" Ryuichi asked, looking worried. "Are you still going to stay for dinner? Or did you make up with Mika-san?"

"Don't worry, Ryuichi," Tohma assured him. "I'm definitely staying for dinner." Ryuichi smiled and ran back into the kitchen. Tohma smiled; no matter how far down he was Ryuichi always seemed to be able to cheer him up.

"To-chan!" Ryuichi called. "Food's ready!"

They ate dinner in silence. Ryuichi, once or twice, tried to begin a conversation. Tohma, however, dismissed in because he was lost in thought. Ryuichi just held onto Kumagoro, staring at Tohma intently.

"Did you like it?" he asked when Tohma had finished.

"Hm?" Tohma looked up from his plate. "Oh, yeah. It was great."

"Are you okay, To-chan?" Ryuichi looked genuinely concerned. "Ryuichi doesn't like it when To-chan is sad."

"I'll be all right," Tohma assured his friend. "I promise."

"That's what you said yesterday," Ryuichi protested. "But you weren't. You were upset." Ryuichi was suddenly serious. He stared at Tohma, waiting for a truthful answer.

"No, Ryuichi," Tohma said. "I'm not okay. Mika-san is taking me to court in a month, and I am not sure why. She's already filed for divorce, but it doesn't seem to be enough." Ryuichi slowly walked over to his friend and embraced him.

"To-chan…" Ryuichi hugged Tohma tightly. Tohma felt himself melt into the embrace. Ryuichi's arms were surprisingly comforting. Tohma buried his head in Ryuichi's shoulder. "You need to rest." Ryuichi helped Tohma up to his room and lay him down on the bed.

"Ryuichi, I'm not sick," he said, looking at his friend in confusion. "I promise, I'll be okay."

"No," Ryuichi said. "You aren't sick. But you're really upset. You've been working too hard. You need another day of rest."

"No," Tohma objected. "I have to work tomorrow."

"I'm sorry, To-Chan," Ryuichi said, seemingly returning to his genki self. "You need another day of rest."

"But—"

"REST!" Ryuichi yelled. "Goodnight, To-chan!" He shut the door, leaving Tohma in the dark.

He knew that Ryuichi was just trying to help, but it was rather irritating that he could not go to work. How long would Ryuichi be keeping him from work? It was comforting, but…

The next day Tohma woke up at 8:30, which was slightly better than the time he woke up the day before. Ryuichi had made breakfast, which consisted of sausage, eggs, bacon, and orange juice.

"Can I assume I'm still not allowed to have coffee?" Tohma asked. Ryuichi smiled and shook his head.

"Caffeine is bad for you, To-chan," Ryuichi answered. "You told me so."

"We meant it is bad for _you_," Tohma laughed.

"If it's bad for Ryu, it's bad for To-chan," Ryuichi said. Tohma sighed.

"And can I go to work?" Tohma asked, knowing all too well what the answer was going to be.

"No," Ryuichi stated simply. "But you need fresh air. You should go for a walk."

"All right," Tohma said. "I'll go for a walk."

"Remember," Ryuichi said. "K-san still has a guard at the door, so you're not allowed to go in."

"He has a guard at the door?" Tohma asked disbelievingly. "Don't you trust me?"

"Bye To-chan!" Ryuichi smiled.

"I really think I should take a shower and change first," Tohma said.

"Okay, fine," Ryuichi said, hugging Kumagoro tight. "Shower, then To-chan goes for a walk in the park!"

"All right," Tohma said.

Later, when Tohma was fully dressed, they headed out for the park. Ryuichi had decided to go with him. Ryuichi stayed very clingy as though Tohma were going to leave if he let go. After a while they stopped and sat down on a park bench.

"There you are!" Tohma turned around slowly to see the woman he had met the previous day. "Why didn't you meet me last night?"

"Ma'am, I—"

"Oh, did I forget to tell you where to meet me?" she asked, cutting him off. "Silly me. Okay, we'll have to reschedule for tonight! Oh!" She suddenly spotted Ryuichi, who smiled and waved. "That's—"

"Hi, I'm Ryu," Ryuichi said. "What's your name?"

"Karen," she said blushing. "You both can meet me for dinner tonight!" She gave them the address of a restaurant not too far from the park they were at and bounded off.

"Is she your friend, To-chan?" Ryuichi asked, cocking his head to the side.

"I only just met her yesterday," Tohma told him. "And even then it wasn't really getting to know her."

"So let's go to dinner with her!" Ryuichi smiled brightly. "It'll be fun!" Tohma was having his doubts, but decided not to argue.

When they got back to Ryuichi's house, they found that Mika had left a suitcase full of Tohma's clothes on the doorstep. Tohma felt slightly grateful, but annoyed as well. Why couldn't she let him go home and take his clothes? He pushed that to the back of his mind as Ryuichi told him to get ready.

They met Karen shortly after they arrived. She seemed unable to find words, so they ate dinner in silence. Tohma's thoughts kept going back to Mika. Ryuichi was acting very pleasant and not overly hyper, which Tohma was thankful for. However, Karen kept buying them wine. Ryuichi seemed to notice this and asked if they could leave. Tohma, however, was quite intoxicated.

Karen sulked, but finally let them go, smiling. Neither man noticed when three other girls came over from another table to talk to her.

"I told you he was having an affair with him…" The other girls giggled and watched the two men stumble out of the restaurant.

Ryuichi helped Tohma into the house and lay him down on the couch. Tohma groaned, already feeling symptoms of the hangover he would feel in the morning.

"You need to rest To-chan," Ryuichi told him. "You drank a lot." Tohma groaned again, feeling his headache grow worse. Ryuichi smiled slightly, clutched Kumagoro to his chest and began to leave the room. Tohma grabbed his arm, which made Ryuichi turn questionably towards his friend.

"Don't go…" Tohma slurred, he was very drunk. "I don't… want you to…" This sentence was clearer than the previous one. Ryuichi sat down on the couch just in front of his friend's stomach.

Tohma sat up and caught Ryuichi's mouth in a kiss. The singer froze, surprised at the keyboardist's bold actions. Eventually, Ryuichi returned the kiss. He was surprised when he felt Tohma's tongue on his lips, requesting entrance. He was even more surprised when he opened his mouth, allowing it.

Tohma tasted like alcohol and peppermint. The former brought a painful reminder to the singer that it was the alcohol speaking for Tohma. Ryuichi was about to pull away when Tohma's hands found their way to his chest, unbuttoning the shirt he had on. Those delicate hands also found their way to his pants, unbuttoning those as well.

Neither of them noticed the people in the window, snapping pictures and giggling silently.

END CH. 2

Hm… that was shorter than the last chapter… Oh, well. Review please! Thanks again to all the people who helped me find out what chan and so on meant.

Love always,

Lily


	3. Chapter 3

I Need You

By: Lily (Lena) Evans

Summary: With his divorce underway, Tohma is kicked out of his house and has to stay with a friend, namely Ryuichi. During his visit there he slowly begins to realize things about himself that he had never known before.

Pairings (for now): Tohma/Ryuichi. Maybe others… later…

Rating: PG-13 (may go up or down, depending on if I change my plan)

Genre: Romance

Warnings: Yaoi (duh), most likely OOC-ness … that is all… for now.

Disclaimer: Gravitation is not mine. Note the word _fan_fic.

A/N: More romance in this chapter. I do not know what probed me to write the first couple scenes, but it was late at night (as it always is when I write my fics). BTW, I do not write lemons. Never have, and I do not think I ever will. Sorry to all the fans of lemons. Not my style. Anywho… Enjoy! Read and Review!

Please remember how I feel about you  
I could never really live without you  
So, come on back and see just what you mean to me  
I need you

"No, To-chan," Ryuichi said, pushing the taller man away. "No."

"Ryuichi," Tohma moaned.

"No," Ryuichi repeated. "You need to sleep. Goodnight."

"Ryuichi…" Tohma said again, almost pleading with him. No, that was silly, Tohma never pleaded with anybody.

"Goodnight," Ryuichi said again.

"I love you…" It was almost a whisper. Ryuichi was not sure he heard it.

"What?" he asked, clutching Kumagoro to him again.

"I love you," Tohma said. He looked almost sober. Ryuichi shook his head, letting the thought escape him.

"Goodnight, To-chan," Ryuichi said. He left Tohma alone, expecting him to sleep. Ryuichi himself, however, could not sleep. Were those not the words that he had always wanted Tohma to say to him? But he was drunk; it did not matter to him. Ryuichi curled up into a ball and held Kumagoro to him. "It doesn't matter to him."

Tohma was surprised to wake up in the morning without Ryuichi's smiling face by his side. It seemed rather strange. Despite the horrible headache he had, he quietly walked up to Ryuichi's room to find him curled up in a ball, asleep, with Kumagoro clasped tight to him. Tohma smiled at the scene. The singer was rather cute when he was asleep.

"To-chan?" he asked groggily.

"I'm sorry, Ryuichi," Tohma said, surprised that he woke up his friend. "I was worried. You can go back to sleep."

"No, I'm not tired," Ryuichi said. Tohma could tell that the sound of his voice was not weariness after all, it was sadness.

"Are you all right?" Tohma asked.

"Mm hm," Ryuichi held on to Kumagoro tighter.

"You can tell me," Tohma said, seeing straight through his friend's lie. "You can tell me anything."

"No, I'm okay, To-chan," Ryuichi lied, trying (but failing miserably) to sound cheerful.

"You can't lie to me," Tohma informed him. "Or do you not want to talk about it?"

"No," Ryuichi said. Tohma nodded and began to walk out. "Yes." Ryuichi had changed his mind and this word stopped Tohma in the doorway. The taller man came and sat down on the bed next to the singer.

"What's wrong?"

"Last night," Ryuichi started. "You—You told me that you loved me."

"…"

"And then you… you kissed me." Tohma's eyes went wide.

"Ryuichi…" Tohma said. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean—"

"But I wanted you to mean it!" Ryuichi shouted. "I wanted you to be telling the truth! But you were drunk and it didn't mean anything! It didn't matter to you! It still doesn't! You don't care!"

"Ryuichi…" Tohma said quietly. He had not realized how much the singer really did love him. He had always suspected it, but he had not realized to this extent. "I—"

"I don't want you to lie to me, Tohma." This took Tohma by surprise. This was the most serious he had seen Ryuichi since their last concert, maybe even more so.

"I would never lie to you," Tohma said. "So listen to me. I love you." Ryuichi looked up. He had tears on his face.

"What?"

"I love you," Tohma repeated. "Like I said, I would never lie to you."

"Tohma, I told you—" He was cut off as Tohma's lips met his. He fell backwards on the bed with the other man on top of him. Tohma was not drunk now, a thought that made Ryuichi deepen the kiss. Ryuichi tasted his own salty tears, but did not really mind. Right now, nothing could bother him.

Ryuichi began to pop buttons off of Tohma's shirt; his own shirt had already been taken off. He felt Tohma's delicate hands on him, the same hands as the night before, only it meant something this time. It meant the world… to both of them.

Later, he lay in Tohma's embrace, still feeling the sensation of those hands on him. Tohma was asleep. Ryuichi moved over to kiss him on the cheek.

"I love you," he whispered.

"I love you too." Ryuichi was surprised to hear a response.

"I thought you were asleep," Ryuichi said.

"No," Tohma said. "I can't sleep." Ryuichi smiled, looking down at the floor to make sure that Kumagoro was still face down, just like he put him. "What are you looking at?"

"Kuma-chan," Ryuichi said. "I was just trying to make sure that he wasn't a naughty boy."

"Let's hope not," Tohma smiled. They heard the doorbell ring from downstairs. Tohma cursed and fumbled around for his clothes. Ryuichi mentally cursed whoever it was that interrupted them, but smiled and got dressed himself.

"Coming!" Ryuichi called cheerfully when he was near the door. He opened it to find the angry face of Mika.

"So," she said. "This is what happens. Not a week after I file for divorce you're already having an affair." Ryuichi was confused until he realized that Tohma was right behind him.

"What are you talking about, Mika-san?" he asked innocently. Ryuichi fought back the urge to giggle.

"Look for yourself," she snapped, tossing him a newspaper. He caught it and opened it up. He frowned a little and looked back up at the fuming woman on the doorstep.

"Mika-san…"

"As I said," she interrupted. "I'll see you in court." She turned on her heel and stomped off. Tohma stood dumbfounded, a sight that Ryuichi realized that he had never seen.

"To-chan?" he asked. "What's wrong?"

"That girl," Tohma said.

"Which one?" Ryuichi asked. "Mika-san?"

"No, the one from last night," Tohma clarified for him. "The one we had dinner with."

"What about her?"

"She followed us," Tohma said.

"I don't understand, na no da." Tohma handed him the paper, letting him see for himself. There were some snapshots of the two of them on the couch when Tohma kissed him the night before.

"Shit," Tohma cursed. He walked over to the couch and sat down.

"What are you doing To-chan?" Ryuichi asked feeling confused.

"I need to see something," Tohma said. He turned on the news and, sure enough, there was a reporter, using the same pictures from the newspaper. What surprised Ryuichi is that she was the woman they had dinner with the previous night.

"Look out ladies, you've got competition," the girl they had known as Karen was saying. "It looks like us women have got no chance with any musician of any kind. We were tipped off by an anonymous source this morning, that Seguchi Tohma and Sakuma Ryuichi are having an affair, three days after Seguchi's wife filed for divorce."

"That explains a lot," Ryuichi said, glancing over at Tohma.

"Anonymous," Tohma repeated. "Yeah, right…"

Tohma turned off the television and put his head in his hands, looking very upset. Ryuichi put his hand on Tohma's shoulder, trying to comfort him.

"I'm sorry," Tohma said. "I'm sorry, Ryuichi."

"Why is that To-chan?" Ryuichi asked.

"I didn't want to drag you into this," he told him. "I'm so sorry…" Ryuichi lifted Tohma's head and kissed him softly.

"It's okay, To-chan," Ryuichi said. "I don't mind."

"Ryuichi…" Tohma smiled sadly.

"Now, you can't watch this." Ryuichi took the TV button away from Tohma, forbidding him from watching another television show. "This is supposed to be your vacation. This doesn't relax you."

"Thanks Ryuichi," Tohma said. "But, I need to go to the office."

"No you don't," Ryuichi said. "It's To-chan's vacation."

"Then can you do me a favor?" Tohma asked. "Find out where that Karen girl lives."

"What are you going to do?" Ryuichi asked. "Is To-chan going to be a naughty boy?" Tohma smiled devilishly, which was all Ryuichi needed to assure him that Tohma was, indeed going to be naughty… very naughty.

END CH. 3

A/N: They just keep getting shorter, don't they? I need to find a good way to make my chapters longer. Oh, well. Anyway, if anybody has any good ideas on how they want Tohma to get revenge on Karen let me know. I'm stuck for ideas right now. Until then… Review the horribly short chapter!

Love always,

Lily


	4. Chapter 4

I Need You

By: Lily (Lena) Evans

Summary: With his divorce underway, Tohma is kicked out of his house and has to stay with a friend, namely Ryuichi. During his visit there he slowly begins to realize things about himself that he had never known before.

Pairings (for now): Tohma/Ryuichi. Maybe others… later…

Rating: PG-13 (may go up or down, depending on if I change my plan)

Genre: Romance

Warnings: Yaoi (duh), most likely OOC-ness … that is all… for now.

Disclaimer: Gravitation is not mine. Note the word _fan_fic.

To Nittle Grasper Fan Joshie: Yes, Karen and Carol are the same person. I messed up there, but I fixed her name to say Karen in chapter 1. Sorry if I confused you.

A/N: Okay, not very much romance in this chapter. Just Tohma getting his revenge against the evil reporter. BTW, Mika's reasons for being so bitchy are revealed later. Read and Review!

_Please remember how I feel about you  
I could never really live without you  
So, come on back and see just what you mean to me  
I need you_

Tohma was not having a good day. Ryuichi had insisted that he go for a walk, which caused most of the trouble. He had people pointing at him, whispering what they thought he did not know about. He figured that they assumed he did not watch the news or something, for he knew exactly what they were talking about.

His mood did improve, however, when Ryuichi announced that he found Karen's address. Tohma was grateful for that. He had also taken down the address of the main office for the company that she worked at, which made things much easier for Tohma. Ryuichi knew him too well…

"What are you going to do To-chan?" Ryuichi asked.

"I am not quite sure yet," Tohma answered. "I'll figure something out." Ryuichi smiled.

"Okay, bye bye, To-chan!" Ryuichi smiled and made Kumagoro wave at Tohma. "Kuma-chan and I will have dinner ready when you get back!"

Tohma made his way down to her office. Walking was better for his health anyway. Besides, Ryuichi still had his car keys. He felt rather lucky when he entered the building for there were not very many people there. There was a secretary sitting at a desk, typing up something for a man standing in front of her, obviously trying to flirt with her. She was paying no attention to this.

"Excuse me," Tohma said after a while. The woman looked up, her eyes widening when she saw him.

"Se-Seguchi-san?" she asked. "C-can we help you?" The man stopped his flirting for a moment to stare at Tohma.

"Yes," he answered the woman's question. "Can you direct me to a newscaster named Karen?" The woman nodded, pointing down the hall.

"Studio 3," she said. "That's the third door on the left."

"Thank you," Tohma said, walking off, not paying any notice to the stares following him.

"All right, I'll get right on it," Karen said, coming out of the studio. "See you tomorrow." She turned around to come face to face with Tohma. "Seguchi-san."

"Karen, right?" he asked, not really needing to. "I would like to speak with you, can you come with me please?"

"Oh, um, okay," she smiled and followed him up to the roof of the building.

"Is your studio really only one story?" he asked, looking over the ledge.

"Um, yes," she answered, not catching his meaning. "What would you like to talk about?"

"That little report you said this morning," he answered with a smile. Karen's face paled.

"Oh, um…" she had no words, which pleased Tohma. That was going to make this so much easier.

"Let me make this very clear to you," he said, backing her into the short ledge of the roof. "If I ever catch you reporting on the private life of me or anybody involved in my company, you will find yourself jobless and, most likely, unable to find a job any time soon." She narrowed her eyes.

"What can you do?" she asked. "You just run a record company. You have no say over who hires me."

"I don't?" he asked sweetly. She would have backed up, but that would send her tumbling over the ledge. "Would you like to test me? Because if you value your career you will not want to try my patience. Believe me, I will tear down your reputation bit by bit until there is nothing left to ruin. I can make sure that you _never_ work in this country again. Do you understand?"

"You—You can't do anything," she was now trying to convince herself, rather than objecting to his words.

"Believe me, my dear," Tohma said, now icily. "I can." He then took both hands and shoved her off the roof. She tried to grab at his arm to pull him down with her, but he simply moved back and she lost her balance and fell off the ledge. A dumpster was conveniently placed below to break her fall, though she did cry out in pain.

"You bastard!" she cried. Tohma shrugged and stood on the roof for a moment, letting the wind blow though his hair and the coat he was wearing. He smiled slightly to himself and walked down the stairs to the main office of the building.

"G-goodnight, Seguchi-san," the secretary said pleasantly. She obviously suspected what happened to the reporter.

"Goodnight," he said, equally as pleasant. He walked past the dumpster in time to see Karen getting out, an old banana peel on her head.

"You'll pay for this, Seguchi!" she threatened.

"Will I?" he asked. It was difficult to take such a threat seriously when she was covered in garbage. She began gagging as he walked away.

"Hi To-chan!" Ryuichi yelped as Tohma walked through the door. The singer pounced on him, asking about the details of what happened.

"Why don't we talk over dinner?" Tohma asked. Ryuichi nodded and bounded towards the kitchen.

"Dinner's ready!" he exclaimed. Tohma smiled at his band mate.

"Sit down, Ryuichi," Tohma commanded. "I'll serve tonight."

"But, To-chan," the singer protested. "This is your vacation. You shouldn't be doing anything."

"I'm just serving dinner," Tohma reminded him. "Don't worry, it won't overwork me." He smiled as Ryuichi thought for a moment.

"Okay," he said. "But if Kuma-chan sees you looking tired you have to sit down and let Ryuichi serve."

"Oh, all right," Tohma agreed. He went into the kitchen to see a lot of food prepared. A lot of food that had a lot of sugar in it. Tohma shook his head and rummaged around for something a little healthier. He eventually found something and served the food. They ate for a little while in silence.

After dinner they made their way over to the couch, where they sat in silence once again.

"So, what happened?" Ryuichi asked eventually. Tohma looked up and smiled. He then explained everything. About how he confronted Karen, about her detour into the dumpster, and about her threat. Ryuichi giggled and said Kumagoro was doing the same.

"Well, what do you think?" Tohma asked him. "Was that good enough?" Ryuichi turned away to converse with Kumagoro on this matter.

"He he," he smiled and crawled into Tohma's lap. "To-chan was a naughty boy!"

END CH. 4

A/N: Okay, Tohma's court date is set in the next chapter. Mika's reasons are explained. Karen seems like she might go through with her threat. Also, when Eiri and Shuichi break up, for what looks like for good, Tohma's faithfulness is tested when Eiri makes him an offer he thinks he can't refuse…

Advertising: (shameless, I know) Please read my other fic. It's better than the summary makes it sound, I promise... ahem...

Review please!

Love always,

Lily


	5. Chapter 5

I Need You

By: Lily (Lena) Evans

Summary: With his divorce underway, Tohma is kicked out of his house and has to stay with a friend, namely Ryuichi. During his visit there he slowly begins to realize things about himself that he had never known before.

Pairings (for now): Tohma/Ryuichi. Tohma/Eiri. Ryuichi/??? (You'll find out soon enough)

Rating: PG-13

Genre: Romance

Warnings: Yaoi (duh), most likely OOC-ness. There _will_ be lime (at least) in this chapter.

Disclaimer: Gravitation is not mine. Note the word _fan_fic.

A/N: Tohma is made an offer he feels he cannot refuse and Ryuichi gets upset. Will he find comfort in the arms of another? Who will it be? Can Tohma fix their relationship in time? And we finally find out why Mika is being such a bitch. Read and Review!

* * *

_Please remember how I feel about you  
I could never really live without you  
So, come on back and see just what you mean to me  
I need you_

Tohma awoke the next morning to his alarm clock. It was 4:30. So, Ryuichi was going to let him go to work today. This was a relief to Tohma, as he did not want K to run his company any longer than three days… preferably less than that.

When he walked into the office he was met with the secretary's sniggers.

"What exactly is so funny?" Tohma asked irritably.

"No-nothing," she said said, hiding her face behind her hand. Tohma rolled his eyes and continued up the stairs. He was not sure why he did not use the elevator, but he felt like walking.

"He-he was so mean!" Tohma heard Shuichi sobbing in the studio and Hiro's comforting words.

"It'll be okay, Shu," Hiro said. "Um… would you like to take the day off…?" Tohma heard his cousin cry out in aggravation.

"We can't stop rehearsals every time he breaks up with his lover!" Suguru snapped. "We're never going to get this new album done before Seguchi-san's deadline!"

"But _Seguchi-san_ isn't working," Hiro protested. "Besides, Shuichi is really upset." Tohma could swear that Suguru was pouting. He decided to let them know that he was back by entering the room.

"Is there a problem?" he asked smiling. Suguru and Hiro jumped up, not expecting him to be there.

"Seguchi-san," Hiro said, bowing respectfully. "You're back?"

"Shouldn't I be?" Tohma asked. "Or would you rather me be gone, Hiroshi?" Hiro turned red and looked away. Suguru looked thankful. Shuichi was still sobbing in a corner. "Chin up, Shindou-san." He smiled again and then left the three musicians alone.

Tohma was nearly to his office when he heard a new voice ring out.

"SEGUCHI!" Noriko came stomping up to him, glaring daggers. "WHY didn't you tell me? I thought we could trust each other! I thought we could tell one another EVERYTHING!"

"What are you talking about, Noriko?" he asked.

"Why didn't you tell me you were screwing around with Ryuichi?"

"What?"

"You heard me," she snapped. "I'm hurt. I really am. I thought we could tell each other everything. I thought we were _friends_!"

"It just happened two days ago."

"I— oh…" she stopped. "Okay. Then congratulations." She smiled sweetly, patted him on the cheek, and walked off, leaving Tohma alone in front of his office. He shook his head and entered.

The first thing he saw was K sitting at his desk. Tohma did not like that very much. The next thing he saw was Sakano, bowing before the manager like he usually did to Tohma.

"What is going on here?" Tohma asked, trying to sound as malicious as he could. K seemed shocked and jumped up. Sakano, on the other hand, squealed and began bowing before Tohma, pleading with him to save them all.

"I didn't expect you back so soon, Seguchi-san," K said, looking disappointed. Tohma smiled sweetly.

"I suppose it is a pleasant surprise then," Tohma said. Sakano nodded and continued fanning Tohma's feet. K stood up from Tohma's desk as he approached. "Thank you for filling in for me. You can go now."

Sakano squeaked again and ran out of the room, seemingly trying to put a large distance between the gun obsessed manager and himself. K followed shortly after. Tohma shook his head again and looked back to his desk. He groaned immediately when he did.

A very large stack of papers was sitting on his desk. It was disheveled and needed to be signed, sorted, and what not. Tohma groaned again and set to work.

* * *

An hour later his phone rang. He groaned and picked it up, but immediately frowned in concern at the sound of Eiri's voice.

"Seguchi," he said, not really sounding like himself. "Do you mind if I come up to your office today?" Tohma was taken aback. Eiri never asked before he decided to do something, and even so, why did he want to come to see him?

"Of course not, come right over," he said, feeling worried. "Is there something wrong?"

"I need to talk to you," he said. "I'll be there in a minute." With that he hung up. Tohma stared at the receiver, confused. What in the world could be wrong? Was it the fight with Shindou? Eiri did not give him very much time to ponder, as he had come quickly. The secretary (who was still giggling) called up to him, telling him Eiri was there.

"Eiri-san," he said as the author entered the room. He looked slightly disheveled, not at all what Tohma was used to. The president got up to meet his brother-in-law in the middle of the room. "Is there something mm—" Tohma never got a chance to finish the sentence as Eiri's lips met forcibly with his. He pushed away, looking questionably at the younger man. "What are you doing?"

"I _was_ kissing you," Eiri said, sounding irritated.

"Why?" he asked. Before a few days previous he never would have questioned this action, but something was forcing him to now.

"Because I want to," he said, tapping his foot. "I know you've wanted this for a long time, haven't you?" Tohma felt his breath catch in his throat.

"How—?"

"I've known for a long time," Eiri answered. "It's not like it isn't painfully obvious."

"But… Shindou…"

"So what?" Eiri asked, growing more impatient by the second. "We're not together anymore. Now, do you want to have sex with me or not?" Tohma looked, wide-eyed at the man before him. Eiri moved in, once again, to capture a kiss.

'No… no… this isn't what I want…' Tohma realized as Eiri began removing layers of his clothing. He moaned involuntarily as Eiri began nipping at his neck. "Eiri…"

Eiri smirked and put his hand at the front of Tohma's pants, causing another moan from the older man. Eiri's smile widened as he unzipped them, slipping his hand inside. Tohma gasped as he felt the contact. Somehow, he had ended up leaning on the desk with Eiri's mouth on his once again, his hand still in his pants.

Eventually, Eiri moved his hand. Tohma groaned at the loss of his touch, but Eiri, not yet satisfied, pulled Tohma's pants down and let his mouth pick up where his hand left off. Tohma shut his eyes, moaning in pleasure.

"Oh, God… Eiri…"

"Tohma?" Tohma's eyes shot open and looked over to the doorway, where Ryuichi was standing, his eyes burning with anger. His usually cheerful expression was gone and he looked more enraged than Tohma had ever seen him before. Eiri had also stopped what he was doing and turned slightly to look at the singer.

"Ryu…" Tohma started, but Ryuichi cut him off by holding a hand up. He glared once more and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him. Tohma moved to go after him, but Eiri pinned him to the desk.

"I'm not finished, Seguchi," he said.

"Eiri, no," he said, trying to get away. Eiri's grip was strong, so Tohma began struggling against it. Eiri's mouth went to his neck again, suckling on it. Tohma cried out trying to shove the stronger man away from him.

"Eiri… don't… stop! STOP!"

* * *

Ryuichi stormed down the stairs and eventually stopped to catch his breath. He had run from Tohma's office all the way to the recording area. He punched the wall next to him, making the people in the connecting room cry out in fright. However, at the moment, Ryuichi could care less. He slumped down to the floor and began sobbing into his hands.

"Hey!" someone yelled, coming out of the recording room. "Don't you have—?" Whoever it was cut himself off as he saw the singer. "Sakuma-san?" Ryuichi looked up to see Shuichi's worried face.

"Shu-chan…" Ryuichi then threw himself at Shuichi's feet, sobbing uncontrollably. Shuichi looked surprised, but bent down to hug him.

"Are you okay?" he asked. "What's wrong?" Ryuichi was now sobbing into Shuichi's chest, getting the younger singer drenched with his tears. "Sakuma-san?"

"Tohma…" Ryuichi sniffed.

"Seguchi-san?" Shuichi asked. "What happened? I thought you two were together…" This made Ryuichi cry even more. Shuichi noticed his mistake and hugged his idol closer. "I'm sorry! I-I only thought—"

"You were right," Ryuichi managed to get out. "Stupid Tohma. Stupid STUPID Tohma!"

"What did he do?" Shuichi asked.

"I thought he loved me…" Ryuichi said, more to himself that Shuichi. "_I_ was the stupid one!"

"No, you're not stupid," Shuichi said, beginning to rub the older man's back comfortingly. "Could you tell me what happened? Or do you need a little more time?"

"…He was with…" Ryuichi sniffled, trying to get the rest of his sentence out.

"Who was he with?" Shuichi asked, now looking even more worried, and possibly a little hurt.

"E-Eiri-san," Ryuichi said, breaking down into tears again. "He was… he was…"

"You don't need to tell me," Shuichi said. "I think I know…" Shuichi hugged the man closer, beginning to cry himself.

* * *

Eiri had left Tohma a while later, seemingly angry that things had not gone the way he had wanted. He left muttering something about women being more cooperative. Tohma had ignored this, desperately wanting to go after Ryuichi, but figured he would be gone by then. He ignored the rest of his paperwork and decided to leave and wait for the singer at his house. He had just gotten into his car when the phone rang.

"Tohma?" he heard a voice say when he answered it. "Do you think you could meet me somewhere? I really need to talk to you."

"Um…" he was slightly taken aback. "I don't know, I have to—"

"Please?" the voice pleaded with him. "It's really important."

"All right," he said, noticing that it sounded urgent. "I'll be there." He got the name of the place and drove off in that direction.

* * *

Ryuichi had left the studio after Suguru, who was less sympathetic to both of them, had ordered Shuichi back into recording. Now Ryuichi was heading to an address that Shuichi had quickly scribbled out for him. There was a tearstain on the end, but Ryuichi figured out what it was.

He reached the house, but hesitated to knock. He did not know whose house he was knocking at and did not want to intrude, but he wanted to be with someone right then, so he lifted his hand and pounded on the door.

The door opened, revealing Tatsuha's figure. The teenager's eyes widened when he saw Ryuichi.

"Tatsuha?" Ryuichi asked, recognizing him as Eiri's brother.

"Ryuichi," he said, looking slightly starry eyed. "Come in."

"Thanks, Tat-chan…" he sniffled. Ryuichi entered, trying not to forget to take his shoes off. He sat down on the couch and stared at his feet. Tatsuha noticed Ryuichi's state and frowned slightly.

"Are you all right?" he asked, sitting next to his idol on the couch.

"No," Ryuichi said. "Tohma's a jerk!"

"What did he do now?"

"He was…" Ryuichi did not want to repeat his story, but did so anyway. When he had finished he glanced at Tatsuha. He looked slightly angry.

"How could he do that to you?" he spat. "How dare he!"

"I'm sorry, Tat-chan," Ryuichi said. "I don't want to get you into this."

"No, I want to help you," he said, inching over slightly.

"Thanks…" Ryuichi said, smiling slightly at the teenager.

"How could he do that to you?" he repeated, still moving closer to the singer.

"He's always loved Eiri-san more than anything," Ryuichi pointed out. "He couldn't help it…"

"Like HELL he couldn't help it!" Tatsuha said. "You shouldn't make excuses for him. He hurt you." Tatsuha was now close enough to put an arm around Ryuichi, drawing the singer in the rest of the distance between them. Ryuichi lay his head on Tatsuha's shoulder, feeling slightly better. He nuzzled against the monk's chest, trying to forget his problems.

Tatsuha was currently blushing like mad. Ryuichi Sakuma was nuzzling him! It was like a dream come true. Well, almost. Tatsuha smiled devilishly and lifted Ryuichi's head to look at him.

"I don't know about Seguchi," he said. "But I would never cheat on you."

"Tat-chan…" Ryuichi managed before Tatsuha closed the distance between them. He captured Ryuichi's lips in a heated kiss. Not bothering with formalities, he slipped his tongue into the singer's mouth, making him moan. Tatsuha resisted the urge to smile as the older man let himself be dominated by the teenager.

Ryuichi let himself get lost in the kiss. It was true that he wanted to get back at Tohma for doing that to him, but was this really how he wanted to do it? It did not feel right to use Tatsuha like this. He decided to try and ignore the feeling when Tatsuha began unbuckling his pants.

* * *

Tohma stepped into the restaurant, looking around for the person he was supposed to meet. Finally he did and went over to the bar and sat down.

"What did you want to talk about Mika?" he asked, cutting straight to the chase.

"No formal greetings, eh, Tohma?" she asked, acting warmer to him than the last few times they met.

"Please, Mika," he pleaded, wanting to find Ryuichi as soon as possible.

"All right," she said. "Don't get pushy. I wanted to apologize for acting so bitchy to you lately. Also, I've dropped the case in court. Just the divorce will suffice."

"Thank you," he said. "But why have you been acting this way?"

"I suppose I must explain that as well," she sighed. "Fine." Tohma awaited the response, slightly dreading what might come next.

"Well? What is it?"

"Tohma," she said. "I'm pregnant."

END CHAPTER 5

Dun dun dun! I bet you didn't see that coming, did you? DID YOU? Okay, so maybe you did. Okay ahem forgive me. It is late and I need more sleep. I finally finished this. The Eiri/Tohma scene had me stuck because I couldn't get it right without it seeming awkward. Maybe it's still a bit awkward, but so what? Okay. Review please!

Love always,

Lily


	6. Chapter 6

I Need You

By: Lily (Lena) Evans

Summary: With his divorce underway, Tohma is kicked out of his house and has to stay with a friend, namely Ryuichi. During his visit there he slowly begins to realize things about himself that he had never known before.

Pairings (for now): Tohma/Ryuichi. Ryuichi/Tatsuha.

Rating: PG-13

Genre: Romance

Warnings: Yaoi (duh), most likely OOC-ness. Limeness

Disclaimer: Gravitation is not mine. Note the word _fan_fic.

A/N: Okay, what the hell? We left off in a strange situation. Tohma cheats on Ryu with Eiri. Then Ryu goes to Tatsuha, and we all know how that ends up ;). And Mika's pregnant?! Things get sorted out a bit in this chapter. But there's an appearance from a character we thought we'd never see again! Read and Review!

_Please remember how I feel about you  
I could never really live without you  
So, come on back and see just what you mean to me  
I need you_

* * *

Tohma gaped at her. She did NOT just say what he heard her say… He shook his head and regained his composure.

"Come again?" he asked.

"I'm pregnant," she repeated. He leaned back, but quickly realized he was sitting on a stool and snapped up straight again.

"You're… But how could you… I mean… we haven't…"

"I know," she said, shutting her eyes. "It's not yours." This made him sputter even more, and Tohma never sputtered!

"You—"

"I know," she said. "I shouldn't have given you such a hard time for cheating on me…"

"I didn't cheat on you," he clarified. "It never crossed my mind."

"Oh, sure, Tohma," she said. "A blind fool could see your feelings for Eiri."

"Maybe it crossed my mind," he admitted. "But I never did anything about it."

"I could tell you weren't in love with me," she said. "I wanted to be with somebody who loved me."

"_I_ loved you," he said.

"It's not the same Tohma," she said. "You're not straight. I knew that the moment I met you, but I was so pressed for a suitor… and Eiri took to you right away…"

"…I suppose you're right…" he admitted. "But you could have told me. When did you find out that you were pregnant?"

"This morning," she said. "You have the right to know. I'm sorry for being so mean lately."

"It's fine," he said. "But I really have to find Ryuichi right now…"

"I suppose I don't get a second glance now, do I?" she teased.

"Mika, this is important…"

"Oh, yes, that's right, he's your new lover, isn't he?"

"Mika…"

"I'm sorry," she giggled. "I'll help you find him. I know one place that he probably is."

"Yes," Tohma said. "But I hope you aren't right…"

"No…" Tatsuha sat up, staring at the singer. This statement had caught him off guard.

"What?" he asked, in the process of taking off Ryuichi's boxers.

"No…"

"What's wrong?" Tatsuha asked, sucking on the singer's neck.

"I… I can't," Ryuichi wriggled out from under the teenager and hugged his knees to his chest.

"Why not?" Tatsuha seemed almost panicky. "There's nothing wrong with it."

"I can't be with you," he said. "I don't want to use you like this…"

"It doesn't matter!" Tatsuha said. "As long as I get one night with you… I'll be okay."

"It doesn't feel right, Tat-chan," Ryuichi told him. "I don't love you."

"But… you've slept with plenty of people without being in love…"

"That was before…"

"What changed?"

"I fell in love," Ryuichi told him simply. It sounded corny, but that was all there was to it.

"With Seguchi…" Tatsuha finished quietly. "I thought he was being an ass."

"He is," Ryuichi confirmed. "But I… I can't help it… I can't hate him. No matter what he does, I'll always love him."

Tatsuha stared blankly at the singer. He had not realized how deep his idol's feelings went. It hurt him to admit it, but he would have to give up on the concept of ever being with Ryuichi.

"Wow…" Tatsuha muttered, pulling on his pants. "I… I hadn't realized…"

"Neither did I…" Ryuichi said, more to himself than the monk next to him. Tatsuha never wanted to hurt Ryuichi, so he realized he would have to let him go.

The phone rang at that moment. Tatsuha, reluctantly, got up and answered, feeling bitter when he heard the voice on the other end.

"Tatsuha!" Tohma's frantic voice came. "Is Ryuichi there?"

"Yeah," he said, trying to sound as cocky as possible.

"Are… are you two…" Tohma did not need to complete the question.

"No," Tatsuha told him. He could hear Tohma's sigh of relief. "Hey, Seguchi. I was wondering…"

"Yeah?" Tohma asked.

"You love him?" Tohma was silent on the other end of the line. Obviously the question caught him off guard.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me," Tatsuha snapped. "Do you?"

"Of course I do," Tohma answered.

"Can you prove it?" Tatsuha asked. Tohma was silent once again. It was rather out of character for him, Tatsuha noticed.

"What do you mean?"

"Can you give up on Eiri?" Tatsuha clarified for him. "Because if you don't, I'm not going to hesitate to take him from you, understand?"

"Tat…Tatsuha…"

"Don't get all mushy on me, Seguchi," Tatsuha snapped. "Just get down here, before he ruins my couch." With that Tatsuha hung up, feeling sulky.

Ryuichi was _really_ going to ruin the couch if he did not stop crying. Tatsuha put an arm around him, trying to ignore his aching problem under his pants. Ryuichi turned to cry on his shoulder.

"You know something…" Tatsuha said. "I don't think he wanted to cheat on you, really."

"Wh—what?" Ryuichi stared up at the monk, his eyes red and puffy.

"I don't think he meant to cheat on you," Tatsuha repeated. "Eiri's aggressive. He might have been forcing him to do something. He just broke up with Shuichi this morning, so Eiri must have been wanting some."

"You think so?" Ryuichi asked. Tatsuha nodded. This was really painful for him.

"Thank you! Thank you, Tat-Chan!" Ryuichi cheered and threw his arms around him, continuing to repeat his thanks.

A knock resounded at the door. The teenager reluctantly got up from his spot next to the singer to answer it, knowing who was behind it. However, once he opened the door, he noticed he was wrong.

"Hello, Tatsuha Uesugi, am I correct?" It was a girl, he noted, staring down at her chest. This definitely was not Tohma.

"Yeah," he said, looking her up and down. "Who're you? Have you slept with my brother?"

"No, no," she said.

"Uh… have you slept with me?"

"Oh, no…" she looked him up and down. "My name is Karen. I want to ask you a few questions."

"Oh, uh, sure," he said. "Though, now's not a good time. Can you come back later? Then I'll be ready and willing to give you any info you need." He winked at her and she blushed scarlet.

"It will only take a minute," she persisted, though giggling a little.

"Fine," he said. "What is it?"

"Was Sakuma Ryuichi going to sleep with you just now?"

"What the hell?" he asked. "What kind of question is that? How would you know anyway?"

"Well," she said, studying him. "He entered your house earlier, hugging you. You currently have no shirt on and your pants are unbuttoned."

"You're really paying a lot of attention to detail, aren't you?" he asked winking. "So what if he was? Is it any concern of yours?"

"Nope," she said, smiling brightly. "Thank you! Maybe I'll drop by later!" She winked and bounded off. Tatsuha scratched his head. Boy, was that girl weird… Ryuichi let out a choking sound, bringing Tatsuha back to reality. He returned to the singer's side, to let him cry on his shoulder again.

This time, when the doorbell rang, Tatsuha was sure that it was going to be Tohma. He rolled his eyes when he saw Mika standing there.

"Oh, what do you want?" he asked.

"Well, excuse me if I'm interrupting anything," she coughed, glancing down at his pants. He quickly buttoned them up, glaring at his sister.

"What do you want?" he repeated. "I know you're not just checking up on me."

"Fine," she said. "I've brought Tohma over here. Now cough up Ryuichi. We don't want you molesting him, now do we?"

"For your information…" he cut off, finally noticing Tohma behind her. "I had no such intention. Even so, he wouldn't let me."

"You had no intention or he wouldn't let you?" Mika said. "Which one is it?"

"He wouldn't let me," he answered morosely. "He's too in love with your husband." Tohma looked up, noticing he had been mentioned. "So are you just going to stand there, Seguchi? Or are you going to talk to Ryu-chan?" Tohma nodded and slipped past both of them, to find Ryuichi on the couch, still crying.

"Ryuichi…" he said. The singer's head snapped up and stared at him.

"To-chan?" He rubbed his eyes, trying to appear as if he did not care. "What do you want?" He was not succeeding in appearing nonchalant, for the tears kept returning stubbornly to his eyes.

"I wanted to talk to you," he said, sitting down next to the vocalist. "And to apologize."

"What makes you think I'll accept it?" he asked, sounding very unlike himself.

"I don't expect you to," Tohma admitted. "I just wanted to tell you that I'm sorry for doing that to you. I don't deserve someone like you… and you deserve someone better." Ryuichi was silent for a moment, and Tohma thought for sure that he was going to agree with him.

"There isn't anyone better…" Tohma looked up at Ryuichi to notice the singer had moved closer to him and was inches away from his face. "I love you, Tohma." Ryuichi reached a hand up to touch Tohma's cheek. "I always will." Instinctively, Tohma leaned against Ryuichi's outstretched palm and kissed it softly.

"I love you too, Ryuichi," he whispered. Ryuichi closed the distance between them, pressing his lips softly against Tohma's. When he pulled away, he was smiling sweetly. Tohma smiled back at him, happy once again.

"Dammit dammit dammit."

"Oh, knock it off," Mika snapped at her brother. "Stop throwing a hissy fit."

"But he's…"

"If you say anything about 'your Ryuichi' I'll run you over with my car," she told him, lighting a cigarette. "He was never yours to begin with. And the only reason he was going to sleep with you earlier was because he was pissed at Tohma. I don't know why, I wouldn't choose to sleep with _you_."

"Yeah, I know," Tatsuha snapped. "Because you didn't. You went and got yourself pregnant by some other guy. Speaking of which, you shouldn't be smoking while pregnant."

"Stuff it," she snapped, ignoring his advice. "Do you really have a death wish?" Tatsuha glared at her, but became silent nonetheless. A knock at the door resounded once again. Tatsuha cursed and opened it.

"Now what?" he asked Karen on the doorstep.

"Hi," she said. "There are still a few questions I want to ask you. Oh!" She had just noticed Mika. "I'm sorry. Is she your girlfriend?"

"Don't be a moron," Mika snapped. "He's my brother. Are you really that dense?"

"You look familiar," she said.

"Well," Mika said. "My brother and I look quite a bit alike."

"No, somewhere else…" she said, seemingly unable to put her finger on it.

"Are you American or something?" Tatsuha asked. "She's married to Seguchi."

"Oh, that's right!" she said. "Oh, what luck! I wanted to talk to you too, but I was never able to get a hold of you."

"Well, you can't talk to me now either," she said. "It isn't the best timing you have here."

"Why not?" she asked. "This isn't some secret meeting, is it?" She had become thrilled with her last idea and began looking around for signs of something exciting.

"Who the hell are you anyway?" Mika asked, glaring.

"Oh, my name's Karen," she said, extending a hand. Mika just stared at it and plastered on the fake smile she had learned from Tohma.

"Pleasure," she said. "Now, if you'll excuse us…"

"Could you at least answer a few questions?" Karen persisted.

"Will you leave us alone if we do?" Mika asked.

"Sure!" Karen smiled, whipping out her notepad.

"Fine, what do you want to ask?" Mika shut her eyes in frustration. Girls like this bugged her.

"How do you feel about Seguchi's affair with Sakuma-san?" she asked.

"That's a rather personal question," Mika pointed out.

"Mika doesn't care. I'll bet she thinks it's 'cute'." Tatsuha said, butting in. Mika glared at him.

"Really?" Karen asked. "Why is that?"

"Because she's got herself a fuck-buddy of her own," Tatsuha said.

"Is there an end to your idiocy?" Mika asked. "Don't you know when to shut up?"

"Really?" Karen asked, astounded. "So… Tatsuha. I noticed Sakuma-san was crying when he entered your apartment. Why is that?"

"His lover cheated on him with my brother," he said.

"Who's your brother?" Tatsuha stared at her.

"Eiri Yuki." Karen's eyes went wide. Mika let out an exasperated scream.

"So Seguchi-san had an affair outside of his affair?"

"Basically."

"Hm…" Karen was writing like mad.

"Yes," Mika said, irritated. "You've asked your questions, now you can leave."

"Not yet," Karen said. "You're being rather mean."

"I'm mean to little bitches who pry into our business," Mika said.

"That's harsh," Karen said, putting a hand to her heart. "Why are you so cranky?"

"She's…"

"Tatsuha! If you say anything I'll kill you!" Mika threatened. "It won't be pretty!" Tatsuha shut his mouth, but Karen had figured out exactly what it was.

"I hear your parents run a monastery," Karen said.

"Yes," Mika answered.

"So does that mean you're a monk, Tatsuha?"

"Yeah," Tatsuha answered. "Why?"

"Aren't you supposed to be chaste?" she asked brightly.

"No one in our family really cares about those laws…" Mika glared again, shutting him up.

"Well, now I'm finished," Karen said, shutting her notepad. "Thank you very much. Think of me when you get back to your monastery."

"I'll pray for you," Mika said dryly, wanting nothing more than for this woman to leave them alone.

Karen left the two of them alone, after winking at Tatsuha. He really was pretty hot for a teenager. She shook her head, trying to clear the pedophile ideas from her head. She smirked when she remembered all the juicy details she had just gotten.

"Tohma Seguchi…" she smirked. "I'll make your life a living hell"

END CHAPTER 6

A/N: Hm… It interests me that it took me so long to get up the last chapter and this one only took me two days… and then it took so damn long to post... Oh well. Next chapter… Karen reports on the stuff that she found out. Tohma and Eiri have a talk. And… other stuff. Thank you so much to all my reviewers You're all so great! So, now that you're here. Drop a review for me. Constructive criticism is appreciated, welcomed, and encouraged. Flames will be used for my marshmallows

Love always,

Lily


	7. Chapter 7

I Need You

By: Lily (Lena) Evans

Summary: With his divorce underway, Tohma is kicked out of his house and has to stay with a friend, namely Ryuichi. During his visit there he slowly begins to realize things about himself that he had never known before.

Pairings (for now): Tohma/Ryuichi. Tohma/Eiri (yet again).

Rating: PG-13

Genre: Romance

Warnings: Yaoi (duh), most likely OOC-ness. Limeness

Disclaimer: Gravitation is not mine. Note the word _fan_fic.

A/N: gasp! Holy mofo I live! And I've actually pounded out another chapter that really should have been up last April... I'm not going to make it easy for Tohma. Poor baby… Anyway, he has a talk with Eiri. Then he hears the news about Karen's article. Lots of stuff Read and Review!

* * *

_Please remember how I feel about you  
I could never really live without you  
So, come on back and see just what you mean to me  
I need you_

Tohma walked up to Eiri's apartment. He felt nervous all of a sudden. It was the first time he had felt this way in a long time. It was going to be awkward, Tohma knew, but he had to talk to his brother-in-law.

Eiri seemed surprised when he opened his door to see Tohma standing there.

"What do you want Seguchi?" he asked, clearly sobered up.

"I want to talk with you, Eiri-san," Tohma told him, nodding towards the apartment, requesting entrance. Eiri said nothing but moved out of the way for Tohma to come inside. The keyboardist removed his shoes at the door and took a seat at the couch. Eiri sat next to him a good distance away.

"What do you want to talk about?" Eiri's tone suggested that he knew, but had decided to be stubborn about it.

"I believe you know, Eiri-san." If Eiri was going to make it difficult, so was Tohma. Eiri lit a cigarette, puffing on it slightly.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Seguchi." The novelist bore his eyes into the older blond man's. It was now a battle of will. The game was on and Tohma was determined to win.

"I believe you do," he replied. "Do you mean to tell me you don't remember what happened earlier?"

"That's exactly what I'm telling you," the younger blond shrugged. "Would you care to fill me in?"

"You could call it statutory rape." Tohma narrowed his eyes, though Eiri seemed unfazed.

"It isn't rape if the other party consents to it."

"So you're saying you remember?" Tohma raised his eyebrows.

"So you're saying you wanted it?" Tohma shut his eyes. He would usually let the novelist have his way with things, but not this time.

"Not today," Tohma said. "If you were planning to make a move on me, Eiri-san, you should have done it sooner."

"I have no regrets about when I chose to 'make a move' on you, as you put it." Eiri's eyes were still drilling holes into NG's president. "I needed something to clear my mind."

"So it was just a booty call then?" Tohma asked, not showing the effect that this small statement had upon him.

"If you want to put it that way…" Eiri put out what remained of his cigarette and leaned back against the couch, his eyes finally leaving the keyboardist.

"I suppose you find it acceptable to do such a thing to someone like me," Tohma crossed his arms over his chest.

"What exactly do you mean 'someone like you'?" Eiri appeared relaxed and Tohma found it difficult to read his next move. "Do you perhaps mean someone of your status? Or someone as easy to seduce as you?" This statement caught the older off guard. He fumbled for a second, but regained the upper hand.

"I mean someone who has been a guardian to you," the president retorted. "I doubt you would seduce a family member."

"Technically, you are family, Seguchi," Eiri reminded him. "So, technically, I already have."

"Yes, technically," Tohma reminded him. "But you wouldn't seduce an uncle or cousin, now would you? Or even Tatsuha."

"The little brat's hit on me plenty of times," Eiri stated, ignoring Tohma's previous statement.

"But you wouldn't hit on him, is my point, Eiri-san," Tohma regarded the novelist in question.

"Where is this conversation going, Seguchi?" Eiri asked.

"I want to know why you decided to give me a blow job earlier," Tohma told him bluntly.

"What would you do if I said it was because I like you?" Eiri turned to the keyboardist, his eyes softer. Tohma let his guard fall, he was at a loss for words.

"I would tell you that it's too late," he said eventually as he regained his defenses. "I have someone else now, Eiri."

"You may," he said, moving closer and cupping the older man's chin in his hand. "But you're still hooked on me."

"Wh-what makes you say that?" Tohma stuttered more than he meant to. Dammit, he was losing. No! He wouldn't, he HAD to win.

"It's in the way you look at me, Seguchi," Eiri moved closer so Tohma could feel the warmth of the younger man's breath on his ear. "Love, adoration… obsession." Tohma's breath caught in his throat.

"N…no." The keyboardist felt like melting into the other man's arms. No, he mustn't!

"Really?" Eiri seemed amused by Tohma's response. "You intrigue me, Seguchi. Why do you insist on keeping your defenses up? You're only going to lose."

"What makes you say that?" Tohma smiled, not the sweet smile he usually had on, but a malicious one. The one that only people close to him knew he had in him.

"Because I always win." It was almost a whisper, barely audible, even at such close proximity. Though, Tohma heard it loud and clear. It felt like a slap in the face. It was true. Eiri always had the upper hand. That, however, was about to change.

"Not this time, Eiri," Tohma told him. "I'm still waiting for my answer."

"To which question, Seguchi?"

"Why did you attempt to take me in my office?"

"Oh, that's right. That one." Eiri's eyes, once again, bore into the keyboardist. "I already told you the answer to that one. Because I felt like it. Must I have a reason for everything?"

"You should know that by now, Eiri," Tohma stood. In his mind, this conversation was over.

"Ah, yes," Eiri remembered. "With you, everything needs a reason. Like there was a reason you didn't push me away this morning." Tohma stopped dead in his tracks, his hand on the doorframe.

"I tried, Eiri," he said, not turning around.

"You didn't do a very good job," the novelist told him. "I couldn't even feel it. Actually, it felt more like you were pulling me in towards you." Tohma felt his knees weaken, like his defenses.

"I—I—"

"Nothing clever to say to that?" Eiri asked teasingly.

"Don't tease me Eiri," Tohma commanded, turning around. Eiri's grin disappeared the moment the keyboardist turned to him and was replaced with a scowl.

"Why shouldn't I?" He closed his eyes and lit up another cigarette. Tohma resisted the urge to snatch it from him and put it out.

"I have no reason," Tohma admitted. "I simply requested for you to stop such teasing." Eiri shrugged, taking a long drag and exhaling in Tohma's direction.

"Are you finished talking?" Eiri asked after a long, awkward silence.

"Why did you really do it?" Tohma asked.

"You're persistent, aren't you?"

"I keep pushing till I get what I want," Tohma reminded him. "You of all people should know that."

"Ah, that's true," Eiri admitted. "You really want to know?" Tohma nodded, knowing already that he would not like the answer. "You were the most likely person to accept such a thing from me."

"I'm not asking why you chose me," Tohma told him.

"Oh?" Eiri opened an eye to regard the older man.

"I want to know why you decided to cheat on Shindou."

"I see…" Eiri got up, put out his cigarette, walked over to the president, and stood so close that their bodies were nearly pressed together.

"Do you plan to tell me?" Tohma asked. "Or are you planning on standing like this for the rest of the day?" He had never been so bold around Eiri before, but he wanted the answer he craved. He wanted to know why he was forced to cheat on Ryuichi.

"I needed something different from what he gives me." Tohma easily saw through this lie and called him on it.

"That's not the reason," Tohma informed him. "You wanted him to be jealous. So you chose me because you know that out of everyone you could cheat on him with, I was the one he would despise the most."

"So you caught me," Eiri gave in easily, surprising the keyboardist.

"Hn… that's all I wanted to know."

"I see," the novelist smirked.

"What exactly do you find so amusing?" Tohma asked, beginning to feel uncomfortable.

"So you're saying, if given the chance, you wouldn't do it again?"

"N-no…" Tohma felt his face flush. He knew it was not very becoming, but Eiri's eyes were boring into him again. However, it was different from before. Eiri was regarding him before with spite, now it was lust. Strange how people's emotions change so quickly, Tohma mused.

"I see…" Eiri closed the distance between them, locking his lips with Tohma's. NG's president suddenly felt his desire overtake him. Everything in his mind was telling him to shove Eiri away, to leave him, but his body was not responding to that. Instead, his arms were pulling the novelist closer, his mouth returning the kiss with equal fever, his eyes fluttering shut, and his legs wrapping around his brother-in-law, willing him forward.

Tohma didn't know when he and Eiri moved over to the couch. The next thing he knew was that he was devoid of his clothes and stripping the author of his. Eiri moved to Tohma's neck, sucking on it lightly. The keyboardist moaned.

"Oh God…" Eiri smirked at the effect he was having on the other man.

"Do you like that Seguchi?" Tohma nodded, despite his mind refusing to believe so.

"M…more…" Eiri was all too happy to comply. He captured his lips in a kiss again, devouring him hungrily. His kisses soon moving down to the keyboardist's neck, his tongue darting out every so often. The teasing made Tohma moan in pleasure. Eiri smirked, noticing that Tohma was enjoying himself, though the next word caught him off guard.

"Ryu…" Eiri moved away from the older man, staring at him. Tohma's eyes shot open and he looked up at the novelist.

"Hmph… so you have fantasies about other people while having sex with someone is that it?" Eiri sat back, away from his brother-in-law.

"N-no! I… that is… dammit…"

"You should have said something, Seguchi."

"What?" Tohma was dumbfounded. "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean you should have told me you actually like him," he said, smirking.

"You mean you…"

"I'm not saying I wouldn't have done it, but I am saying I wouldn't have done it this last time." He pulled on his shirt and left Tohma lying naked on the couch.

"E…Eiri…" He sat up and put his head in his hands for a while before deciding to pull on his pants. After getting dressed he noticed Eiri had retreated to his room. Tohma glanced in that direction before heading out the door.

He met Shuichi about halfway down the hall. The pink haired boy glared at him with every ounce of strength he could muster, which looked slightly awkward. Tohma nodded to the boy and greeted him.

"Hello, Shindou-san," he said. "How are you doing?"

"Could be better," he said, still glaring at his boss.

"Is that so?" Tohma asked innocently. "Why don't you go see Eiri then?" Shuichi regarded the man with curiosity.

"You _want_ me to talk to Yuki?" he asked.

"Why not?" Tohma asked. "If you two breaking up is affecting your performance it's going to cause problems Shindou."

"But I thought you—" Tohma cocked his head to the side, feigning obliviousness.

"Yes, Shindou?" he asked.

"Weren't you fucking with Yuki?" he asked. Blunt as ever, though Tohma did not lose his smile.

"What makes you think that?" he put on a confused look. "We were having a discussion about his inappropriate visit to me this morning. We have it all sorted out."

"But you… Sakuma-san…"

"Yes, I've spoken with Ryuichi as well," he said, still smiling. "As I said, everything is all sorted out… that is, except your relationship with Eiri."

"Wha--?"

"Go on," Tohma urged him. "I believe he might be willing to forgive you." He winked and walked away, his coat swishing behind him. He felt the pink haired youth's eyes follow him until he turned the corner. It startled him that he did not mention the fact that Eiri chose him over Shuichi. Something inside him, however, would not let him say such a thing. He had dreamed often of gloating that he had won Eiri… taken him away from the pink haired brat. However, now, that seemed ridiculous.

"TO-CHAN!" Ryuichi glomped him the second he walked in the door. "WE MISSED YOU!" The singer had been shouting, though Tohma was right under him.

"Hey, lovebirds," Noriko appeared in the doorway, holding a magazine. "You mind if I talk to you two for a second? It looks like you had other plans though." She winked at them. Ryuichi flushed.

"Nori-chan!" He attempted to glare at her, but it looked rather goofy. "To-chan and Ryu were having a serious conversation." He attempted to imitate Tohma, but really didn't pull it off well. Noriko bent down to pat his head.

"What is it Noriko?" Tohma asked from his spot on the floor. She giggled slightly at seeing her band mate in such a position.

"Oh, no, this can wait, by all means."

"Noriko…" Tohma glared, but from his spot on the floor, that looked funny as well. Noriko burst out laughing at the sight.

"I've never seen you in this state before, Tohma." She wagged a finger in his direction.

"Just tell us what you want," Tohma sighed.

"All right, all right," she said, rolling her eyes. "Here." She dropped the magazine on his face. "You might find this interesting."

"What is it?" Tohma asked, finally sitting up and looking down at what she threw on him. Ryuichi was still sitting on his legs.

"A magazine," she said.

"I know that," Tohma said, glaring back up at her. "What am I looking for?"

"The head article," Noriko told him as though it were obvious. "It involves you two." Tohma glanced at it and the name of the author made him sick.

"Karen…" he said.

"That mean lady?" Ryuichi asked.

"You know the author?" Noriko asked. "Well, she must have some kind of grudge against you two."

"Dammit…" Tohma cursed. "I thought for sure I'd made enough calls to make sure she never worked around here again…"

"That's just it," Noriko said. "You own Tokyo… this publishing company is in Hokkaido."

"…Fine then…" Tohma narrowed his eyes. "If that's really the way she wants it…"

END CHAPTER 7

A/N: Okay… Karen's really in for it now. You get to find out what was in the article in the next chapter. Now that Eiri's out of the picture doesn't mean that we won't have problems. Maybe I'll update before fifteen years again.

Love always,

Lily


	8. Chapter 8

I Need You

By: Lily (Lena) Evans

Summary: With his divorce underway, Tohma is kicked out of his house and has to stay with a friend, namely Ryuichi. During his visit there he slowly begins to realize things about himself that he had never known before.

Rating: PG-13

Genre: Romance

Warnings: Slash

Disclaimer: Gravitation is not mine. Note the word _fan_fic.

A/N:sigh: Another update… when's this thing going to end? As soon as I decide to end it, that's when. Okay, in this chapter, Tohma and Karen have their little war. Noriko gets involved more. We find out who the father of Mika's baby is. And we get to see more characters! Yay, let us all rejoice! Read and Review!

* * *

_Please remember how I feel about you  
I could never really live without you  
So, come on back and see just what you mean to me  
I need you_

It had been a while… Tohma had shut himself up in his office, giving only privileged people access. However, when those people asked what he was doing, they were snapped at and refused admittance for a few days. That is, save Ryuichi, who happened to be in there most of the time anyway. He wouldn't ever say such a thing, but he wanted revenge on the 'evil bitch' who was trying to ruin their lives as well.

Karen had become an obnoxious thorn in Tohma's side for quite a while, and there was only one way to get it out. It was time to play dirty. Noriko had gone to Hokkaido and played spy for him for a short while, but it was not long enough to get all the necessary blackmail information he needed.

He wanted something so horrible, that she would have to leave the country all together to avoid the humiliation, and even then, it would follow her. He had blackmailed people before, but never had he wanted to humiliate her so much. He had a certain loathing for her that he had never felt before, save once. Aizawa Taki… he needed to do something like that… however, pushing her off a building did not seem to have worked the first time, why would it the second time? No, he was stooping to the level OF Aizawa Taki… with blackmail.

"To-chan?" Ryuichi was sitting on the desk, swinging his legs off the edge.

"What is it, Ryuichi?" he asked, only half-listening.

"Why do you like me?" The question caught Tohma off-guard. His head snapped up to regard the singer with curiosity.

"What makes you ask something like that?"

"I dunno… I just wanted to know…" Ryuichi looked away, his cheeks tinted pink.

"Well…" Tohma thought for a second before continuing. "We've been friends for a long time… I think it's because you're so positive. You always see the bright side of things."

"Oh, okay…"

"Is there something wrong?"

"You… don't think I'm sexy?" Tohma smiled at him… his trademark smile.

"Of course, I do, Ryuichi," he leaned over the desk, giving the singer a quick kiss on the lips. Ryuichi smiled warmly.

"Okay, that's good, na no da!" He leaned over and mirrored the keyboardist's actions, giving him a peck on the lips. "Ryuichi thinks To-chan is sexy too!"

"Hey, you two." Noriko entered the room and, of course, always at the most inopportune moments. "I've got what you wanted, Tohma-kun."

"Thank you, Noriko," he nodded to his desk, figuring she would understand to put it there.

"Sure thing," she did just that and winked. "They figured out who I am though and I had to run from the media. I lost them after a while, but I think it would be a bad idea to send me back there."

"I understand," he sighed. "I suppose I'll find someone else to send… I suppose I can use K-san…"

"There you go," Noriko smiled. "Just know that I'll help you guys with anything you need. Nori-chan is on the job!" Tohma nodded.

"Of course, thank you Noriko."

"No problem," she winked again and walked back out of the room.

"What did Tohma need?" Ryuichi asked, glancing at Tohma and then at the papers that Noriko left on the desk.

"Just a few things from a magazine editor," he shrugged. Ryuichi nodded, knowing not to press Tohma further.

There was another long silence, in which Ryuichi tried not to bother Tohma. He did, however, get bored quickly and let out a few heavy sighs and kicks his legs against the desk a few times before Tohma looked up.

"I'm sorry, To-chan…" Ryuichi suppressed a sniffle.

"It's all right," Tohma assured him. "I know this mustn't be very fun. Why don't you go with Noriko?"

"But I wanna stay with To-chan," Ryuichi protested. "Does To-chan not want us here?"

"Of course I do," Tohma sighed. "I just thought you were horribly bored."

"Nope nope, na no da!" Ryuichi leaned in again, pecking Tohma on the lips and then giggling. Tohma smiled and leaned in to meet Ryuichi's lips again, but was met with Kumagoro's instead. "Kuma-chan wanted a kiss na no da!"

Tohma withdrew, still smiling. "Well, it looks like Kumagoro got what he wanted." Ryuichi nodded vigorously, but then he frowned slightly.

"But… Tohma didn't get what _he_ wants…" Tohma shook his head to signify that it was all right, but Ryuichi had moved from the desk and straddled Tohma on the chair. "Is this better?"

Ryuichi smiled down on his lover seductively and, without waiting for an answer, planted a passionate kiss on the other's lips. Tohma responded by placing his hands around Ryuichi's waist and pulling him closer. Ryuichi moaned into his mouth, licking his lips and looking for an entrance. Much to their dismay, however, another knock resounded at the door. Ryuichi pouted and whined softly back at the door and hopped off of Tohma's lap to sit on the leather couch over near the corner. Tohma, not as verbal about his disappointment, straightened out his desk slightly before calling for the person to enter.

It was K. Tohma hadn't remembered calling him, so it led him to assume that Noriko had sent him. He shut the door behind him and approached Tohma's desk. Tohma raised an eyebrow, waiting for an explanation as to why he was there."

"K-san. Can I help you?" K nodded with a grin.

"Noriko says you have something that I can take care of." He patted the gun at his side.

"As a matter of fact, I do, but it entails leaving your weapons at home." K frowned deeply, clearly disappointed, but he said nothing to that. "I want you to go to Hokkaido and do a bit of spying for me. I assume you can do that."

"I can do that no problem!" K grinned widely.

"Excellent. I will pay for lodgings and transportation. Make sure you call me and give me updates on your progress."

"Can't I bring one gun?" Tohma gave him a look but nodded.

"Very well. You may need it anyway." He nodded. "I will tell you exactly what you are doing later."

"Sure thing, boss." K gave him a thumbs up and turned to leave the room. Tohma sighed and smiled over at Ryuichi, who grinned back.

* * *

Tohma arrived home rather late with Ryuichi, who was still as energetic as ever. Tohma glanced at the phone and noticed a message waiting for one of them. He hit the playback button as Ryuichi began dancing with Kumagoro. Mika. Tohma frowned, wondering if there was something wrong.

"Tohma, it's Mika. I would appreciate it if you called me back. There is something I need to talk to you about. I hope to hear from you soon." That was all she said. Tohma frowned a bit more and pulled out his cell phone. He hit the speed dial for Mika's cell phone and waited for an answer on the other end. She answered quickly, apparently expecting him.

"Well, hello. I was wondering when you were going to call me."

"I'm sorry, Mika-san." He ran a hand through his hair, sighing softly. "I just returned home."

"It's perfectly all right," she stated. "How are you?"

"All right," he lied, shrugging. "Yourself?"

"Well, I'm well, but there was a reason I called. Do you think perhaps we could do lunch tomorrow. I want to ask you a few things."

"Oh," Tohma was slightly surprised by that. "All right then. I'll take some time off around noon. Where would you like to meet?"

"The jazz café just down the street from NG would do just fine," she told him.

"Excellent. I'll see you tomorrow, Mika-san." Tohma smiled slightly as she said a quick goodbye and hung up the phone. Tohma hung the phone back up and turned around, only to find that Ryuichi was nowhere in sight. He frowned deeply and glanced around, then heading through the house. Finally, he approached the bedroom and had to bite back a small chuckle. Ryuichi had apparently left without him knowing and fell fast asleep, sucking on Kumagoro's ear.

Tohma moved further into the room and watched Ryuichi only for a moment. He then turned to open the dresser drawers to find something to sleep in. Once he had done that, he changed quickly and tossed his work clothes into the hamper sitting by the bathroom door. He lay down next to Ryuichi and smiled slightly before closing his eyes and drifting off into a light sleep.

* * *

Tohma awoke later than he'd planned to the next morning, and Ryuichi was already up. He quickly changed and moved through the house toward the kitchen to meet Ryuichi's smiling face. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing to see that face near his so early in the morning, it was just rather surprising. Nevertheless, Tohma gave him a grin a quick peck on the lips.

"Good morning, Ryuichi."

"Morning, To-chan!" Tohma was then met with Kumagoro lips in another morning greeting. That was okay as well. He'd gotten used to that. "Are you having breakfast?"

"No, I'm actually rather late." Tohma glanced at the digital clock on the microwave to realize his assumptions were correct and he really needed to leave. "I should go. You can catch up later if you'd like to finish your breakfast."

"Okay! Bye, To-chan! I'll see you sooooon!" Ryuichi waved happily and munched on a piece of toast. Tohma chuckled softly and grabbed his briefcase, leaving quickly. He arrived to work at nearly ten o'clock, which was not ideal. He only had a short while to get a great deal of paperwork done before he met Mika for lunch. He glanced at his watch at 11:45. He sighed softly and stood from his chair. He quickly informed his secretary that he would return later and hurried out to his car to meet Mika at the jazz café—hopefully on time for once.

"Tohma, there you are," Mika stated when he sat down at her table. He gave her a smile.

"It's nice to see you, Mika-san," Tohma told her.

"It's a wonder that you were never on time when we were married. Now I understand the key to keeping you on time," she teased, a slight smirk crossing her features. He gave her a slightly pouty look.

"So what is it that you wanted to tell me? It sounded urgent last night." He changed the subject, not wanting to run over and have extra work to do later that night.

"Oh, yes. No exchanging pleasantries with you," she stated, shaking her head. He was about to speak, but Mika went on. "I wanted to talk to you about the baby."

"The baby? What about it?" Tohma raised an eyebrow. It wouldn't be like Mika to ask for child support, especially since it wasn't his child.

"I need your advice on something…" If there was anything Tohma was expecting, it wasn't that. He stared at her for a moment and frowned slightly.

"You want my advice on something? Like parenting?"

"No, no," Mika shook her head. "Let me finish. See… the father doesn't really… know."

"He doesn't know?" Tohma raised an eyebrow, slightly confused. "As in he doesn't know it's his kid?"

"What kind of woman do you think I am?" Mika asked him, irritably. "He doesn't know I'm pregnant. I haven't told him yet."

"And you want my advice on how to go about it?"

"Exactly," Mika nodded, apparently glad that he'd caught on now. "I don't know how to tell him and I want him to know before the press blurts it out more than they already have."

"I… Mika, I'm not really sure. I've never had to do that myself…"

"I know that," she snapped, frowning. "I want to know how you would like to be told. If it were your child, how would you like me to break it to you?"

Tohma sat back in his chair and thought for a while. He really wasn't entirely sure how he would like her to do that, since, again he hadn't experienced it. He frowned deeply and put a hand to his chin in thought. Eventually he glanced up to meet her inquisitive eyes and he sighed softly.

"Well… perhaps slowly, over a nice dinner at home," he told her. "I personally think that's the best way you could do it for any man. Unless he's truly not planning to stay with you. Then I'd suggest getting it over with and moving on to find someone who will be with you and support you." Mika nodded slowly, frowning deeply as well.

"I suppose that's the best I can do, really." Tohma nodded to that, watching her slightly. "I don't usually admit to this, but I'm scared."

"Of ending the relationship? You like him that much, hm?" Tohma smiled at her and reached across the table to place a gentle hand on her arm.

"Yeah, I really do. I don't know how this will go over, though…"

"May I ask who it is?" She glanced up at him, a blank expression on her face.

"Even if I don't tell you, you'll find some way of figuring it out on your own," she admitted, shaking her head. Tohma grinned, surprised at how well she seemed to know him—perhaps he'd underestimated her. "You have to promise not to freak out."

"I don't know if I can do that, Mika-san…"

"Very well," she sighed softly. "Claude…"

"K-san?" Tohma's eyes widened slightly, but other than that, he managed to keep his expression neutral. However, again, she'd surprised him. She frowned at him and nodded slowly. "I see."

"That's why I'm worried about telling him," Mika explained. "He already has a child and a wife in America, so there's not much of a chance he'll leave both of them to be with me."

"You don't know that," Tohma told her, almost immediately. "There's always the chance, and it's one you'll have to take. There's no escaping it now."

"I know that," she told him. "It doesn't prevent my being scared, though." He nodded slightly, ready to say more, but out of the corner of his eye he saw a woman get up from her seat and leave the café in a hurry. Not many women did he know of who would leave without getting anything—even less who wore trench coats inside on a summer afternoon. He quickly bid Mika goodbye and got up to follow her, despite Mika's protests for him to sit back down. Finally, when she realized he wouldn't listen, she got up to follow him as well. She reached the street corner without realizing that either was behind her. However, once she did see them, she took off down a back alley. Tohma broke into a run to follow her, Mika shouting for him at his heels. They managed to corner her at the end and Tohma grabbed her arm as Mika caught up to him. Thankfully, his instinct had been right and they were both staring straight into the guilty face of Karen.

"I thought I warned you to stay out of my business," Tohma told her, as calmly as he could while still catching his breath. Mika glanced between the two of them, not speaking a word.

"You did," Karen told him, glaring. "I chose not to listen. I have that right."

"You do, but it's not in your best interests," Tohma told her.

"How would it look if all the publishing companies heard that you were threatening a poor defenseless girl?"

"Hardly defenseless," Mika spat, crossing her arms. "What exactly is your fascination with Tohma? Can't you find a new celebrity to degrade?"

"I already have," Karen stated proudly, her head raised high. "It's you, dearie."

"Me?" Mika raised an eyebrow, skeptically. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't recall doing anything spectacular to catch the public eye."

"You married Seguchi Tohma."

"So? Why would they be interested in the movements of his ex-wife?" Mika asked, apparently growing more irritated by the second. Karen only smirked.

"I suggest you let me go," Karen told them. "There would be no way to avoid a lawsuit, and I doubt either of you could afford that at the moment." She smirked at the two of them. Tohma was the first to step away from her. Mika glanced at him, surprised, but let go of her hold on Karen's arm and stepped back as well.

"Go ahead," Tohma told her, a smile crossing his features. Karen huffed and left them quickly. As soon as she was out of earshot, Mika turned her gaze to Tohma.

"I'm assuming you have an actual plan to go with this?"

"I do," he answered. "Don't worry, Mika-san, I do."

END CH. 8

It's about time. I apologize to all of you who have been waiting for this. Thank you to all of those who e-mailed/IMed me. That helped me get myself on task for an hour or so and gave me more inspiration to write. I do hope you enjoyed this chapter and I hope to get the next one out before you all have to remind me that I'm a slacker.

Love always,

Lily


	9. Chapter 9

_I Need You_

**By**: Lena108

**Summary**: With his divorce underway, Tohma is kicked out of his house and has to stay with a friend, namely Ryuichi. During his visit there he slowly begins to realize things about himself that he had never known before.

**Rating**: PG-13

**Genre**: Romance

**Warnings**: Yaoi and het

**Disclaimer**: Gravitation is not mine. Note the word _fan_fic.

**A/N**: Okay, so I realize that it has been a bajillion years since I've updated this fic and I had fully intended to leave it just sitting to collect dust, but I had a sudden inspiration and desire to finish what I started so there we have it. I apologize to all of you who have been waiting very patiently for this update. So, in this chapter, Mika breaks the news to K, Ryuichi and Noriko have a heart to heart and Tohma finds a way to get even.

_Please remember how I feel about you  
I could never really live without you  
So, come on back and see just what you mean to me  
I need you_

* * *

NG had been quiet for several days, especially due to the fact that Tohma had refused to let any recording artists in the studio, save for Bad Luck and Nittle Grasper, causing an eerie silence to fall over most the floors. Except for the recording studio. Suguru and Shuichi were at it again, shouting about something very unlikely work related. In any other instance, Tohma would have been deeply annoyed and possibly inclined to step in, but he was on the top floor, his fingers steepled, gazing at someone across his desk who was obviously not there to sign a contract.

"Can you do this for me?" Tohma asked. "There will certainly be a reward in it for you, and a hefty one at that."

"Of course I can," the man answered with a grin.

"Do not let me down," Tohma warned him. The man stood and nodded his head.

"Don't worry, Seguchi," he said. "I won't."

With that, he left. After a few moments, Tohma stood up and let out a sigh of relief. He wandered toward the large windows and glanced outside, waiting until he saw a tiny figure walk out of the building and disappear from view. At that moment, the door opened behind him. He didn't need to ask who it was.

"Have you done your part, Mika-san?" he asked. Mika placed a hand on her hip and frowned at him.

"Of course I have," she told him. "But it would be great if you could tell me exactly what this plan of yours is. You only told me what I'm supposed to do, but you haven't told me how it's going to get this Karen woman out of our hair."

"In due time…"

"Stop saying that," she told him. "I don't like being left in the dark, Tohma."

"I know you don't," he told her, turning around. "I just need you to trust me for a little bit more. I can tell you once it has been carried out. I just don't…"

"Want me to stop you," she finished for him. "I know how your mind works by now. If it's something you think I'll stop you over, it can't be good." She paused. "But I will trust you. If it will get things done, then so be it."

"I appreciate it, Mika-san." She smiled at him and the door opened behind her. A pink rabbit head slowly found its way into Tohma's line of sight. The rabbit almost seemed sad to see that there was already a visitor.

"Should we come back later, na no da?" it seemed to ask.

"No," Mika said, turning around. "I was just leaving. I have a little bit of unfinished business anyhow." She paused on her way out. "Goodbye, Kumagoro. Say hello to Sakuma-san for me."

"Mika-san!" Ryuichi said, jumping out from behind the door. "I'm right here with Kumagoro!"

"Oh, silly me," she said smiling. "It's nice to see you, Sakuma-san. Goodbye."

With that, Mika left the room and headed down the hallway to the elevator. Kumagoro and Ryuichi watched her go before Ryuichi finally turned his head back toward Tohma's desk to regard him with the innocent curiosity that he always managed to have. Tohma really admired that in him, especially in the music business, but that wasn't the issue at hand.

"Where is Mika-san going?" he inquired. Tohma offered him a smile.

"She has some unfinished business to take care of," he informed Ryuichi, hoping that she was going to visit the father of her child. She'd promised him that she would, he just hoped she wouldn't back out now.

"Oh! Okay!" he grinned at him, then his face fell as Tohma looked away from him to look up another phone number. "…is Tohma busy?"

"Er…" Tohma glanced up, halfway finished with dialing the phone. "A little bit…" Ryuichi's face fell and he seemed dangerously close to tears. Tohma hung up the phone and sighed. "I'm sorry Ryuichi, I really need to get this finished." Ryuichi began to sniffle and Tohma put a hand to his head. "I'll tell you what, we'll go out to dinner tonight. Just the two of us, is that all right? No interruptions. Just me and you."

"Okay!" Ryuichi's expression lit up immediately at the promise of dinner. "I'll see you tonight, To-chan! Pick me up from our house at eight o'clock! Don't be laaaaate!" He grinned before disappearing around the corner. Tohma smiled slightly before returning to his previously serious expression, dialing another phone number.

"Seguchi Tohma," he told the woman on the other end. "Have I got a story for you."

* * *

The studio was very eerie with no other bands around. Shuichi had discovered that firsthand as he attempted to walk down the hallway to get a soda. The lack of any noise or life at all gave allowed a chill to run down his spine. What if there was a ghost in the NG building? What if it was hungry for SINGERS!? Maybe Yuki would save him! Shuichi became so lost in his thoughts as the vending machine waiting for him to make his selection. So engrossed in the conversation going on in his own head, Shuichi didn't notice as a figure approached him from behind. Despite the gentle touch, the pink haired singer screamed and spun around, ready to fight.

"I'M WARNING YOU, GHOST! I HAVE A BOYFRIEND!" he opened his eyes to see the extremely disturbed and mildly annoyed Mika. "Oh… erm… but you knew that…"

"It's nice to be reminded, Shindou-san," she said dryly. "Thank you."

"What are you doing here?" he asked. "Aren't you and Seguchi-san div… Oh! No! I'm sorry! I shouldn't have said anything!"

"Shindou-san, it's really all right," she said, feeling a headache coming on. Why him of all people? Fujisaki-san was so much easier to deal with. Even that guitarist with the mullet seemed more pleasant. Though, she may have preferred Shindou to that spastic producer they had. Sakano-san, was it? Oh well. "I'm here to see K-san. Is he around?"

"K-san?" he asked, ceasing with his apologies, looking rather surprised indeed. "I didn't know you knew him. Okay. I'll get him! Wait here!" With that, he was off, running down the hall, still without a soda in hand. Moments later Claude Winchester appeared from the doorway, confused. He spotted Mika, though, and he nodded his head toward her. As he approached, he hit a button on the machine and grinned.

"Soda?" he offered her.

"I'm fine, thanks," she told him with a small smile. He shrugged his head and took a swig of the soda he'd ordered on Shindou's money while Mika stood in silence. After a moment he lowered the can and tilted his head slightly.

"Was there something you wanted to talk about, Mika-san?" he asked, his expression suddenly serious. Mika sighed a little bit and looked away from him.

"Well, yes," she confirmed. "I just… would prefer to do it somewhere else, if you don't mind."

"Sounds good," he said, tossing the soda can away, landing it directly in the trash can. If she weren't so nervous, Mika would have complimented him on a nice shot. "Lunch is on me, then."

"Wonderful," she said, offering him a calm smile, quite deceiving to how she was actually feeling. She'd learned from Tohma, so she was a master at hiding her emotions.

"Sakano and Fujisaki can get the slackers to do their work for once," he grinned and offered her his arm. "Shall we?" She hesitated a moment before taking it.

"Lead the way," she implored him.

* * *

She let her fingers linger on the keyboard for just a moment as she paused to read over what she had just written. It seemed good enough, but the story still needed a little bit more spice. She'd done an excellent job of making things interesting thus far, so what she really needed was something brilliant. Something to make the story pop and send her popularity as a journalist through the roof. She was good at getting to the top too, and Seguchi Tohma would have to just watch as she used him to climb the ladder of success.

The door opened and her editor paused, waiting for her to acknowledge him. Karen frowned, mildly frustrated that someone had interrupted her work. Seguchi Mika really was an interesting woman to write about and she hadn't quite wanted to stop just yet. Still, this was likely something at least a little bit important.

"What is it?" she asked, turning around in her chair. "I hope this is important."

"Ah, yes, ma'am," he said, frowning deeply. He held up an envelope that seemed as though it were previously sealed. It was open now and the contents were sticking out—several pieces of paper with quite a bit of writing on them.

"What is that?" she demanded, rolling her eyes. What could possibly be more important than the story that would give her the break she needed?

"It's a story about Seguchi Mika," he said. Karen's eyes widened and she immediately snatched the envelope from his hands.

"What!?" she demanded. "Let me see…" The contents of the envelope appalled her.

* * *

"Nori-chan?"

Noriko glanced up from the magazine she was reading. No… the magazine Tohma had _assigned_ her to read. She felt like she was back in school, only she'd never had to read the tabloids for homework. Still, this was a much needed interruption.

"Yes, Ryu-chan?" she asked him with a smile. He always brightened up her day.

"Um…" he bit on Kumagoro's ear, mumbling something as he did so. Noriko lifted an eyebrow and set the magazine down with a soft sigh, masking her irritation well.

"Ryu-chan," she said sweetly. "Don't talk with your mouth full."

"Sorry, Nori-chan," he said, removing Kumagoro's ear from his mouth. "I said I want to talk to you. It's about Toh-kun." This caught her interest. Noriko was always one interested in the personal lives of her best friends. So, naturally, she pulled up a chair for him, letting him sit down before going on. "I'm worried about him. This Karen lady is really mean. I'm afraid she's going to hurt him."

"Don't you trust him?" she asked, frowning a little bit.

"I trust Tohma!" Ryuichi protested. "I don't trust the Karen lady. She's almost as scary as Tohma is sometimes. I don't know what she'll do to him! I don't want Tohma to get hurt, Nori-chan."

Noriko smiled slightly and reached out, placing her hand on Ryuichi's shoulder. In all honesty, she was worried about Tohma as well, but with Ryuichi voicing this concern, she felt it would be best to simply reassure him and keep her own worries to herself. Upsetting him further was never a good idea in any situation.

"He'll be fine," she told him, sounding very sure of herself, despite how she really felt. "Tohma's a clever boy. He can take care of himself."

"You… you think so? I don't want to lose him," Ryuichi said softly.

"Ryu-kun," Noriko said, crossing her arms. "You're stuck with him. You couldn't lose him if you tried." Ryuichi glanced up and grinned at her.

"Well, I'm not going to try, so Tohma will never go away!" Now _that_ was the Ryuichi she knew and loved.

* * *

"Something on your mind?"

"What?" Mika glanced up from her cup of coffee to regard K with slight surprise. She hadn't realized that she'd almost forgotten that he was there, lost in her own thoughts. When he spoke, it drew her out of her own mind. She flushed slightly and smiled to mask the mild embarrassment that she felt. "Yes, actually. I'm not entirely sure how to say it."

"This something about…" he glanced around, as if expecting his wife to burst through the door at his next words. "…us?"

"You're two for two," she told him, confirming his statement. He nodded his head, waiting for her to continue. "This is difficult."

He did it again, glancing around and actually leaning forward on the table before speaking. Mika half expected him to die of fright when the door opened to let in another patron. She'd never seen him so jumpy and, quite honestly, wasn't expecting him to be as such. If anything, she'd expect him to proclaim his conquests out loud.

"…are you pregnant?" he asked her, causing her to be surprised again.

"I…" she sighed softly. "Yes, K. I am."

"We couldn't have done this in private?" he asked. She gave him a look and shook her head.

"No," she told him. "There's a reason I wanted to do it here." He nodded his head.

"All right, all right," he said, leaning back in his chair and kept his eye on her. "Mine, yeah?"

"Yeah," she confirmed again. "I wouldn't have told you if I wasn't absolutely sure about it."

"Okay," he said. "When's it due?" She perked up then, tilting her head, eyes going wide.

"You're… I mean…"

"Hey, it's my kid," he told her with a grin. "I'm not a big enough jerk to walk out on my kid. I mean, this'll be tough to break to Judy and all… with the whole child support and…"

"You don't have to pay me child support," she interrupted, shaking her head, frowning at him.

"Not you," he said, waving his hand dismissively. "Her."

"Her?" she demanded, shocked. He kept surprising her.

"Well, yeah. With the whole divorce and everything…"

"You didn't tell me you were getting a divorce," she almost snapped, though it was almost a relief. She wouldn't tell him that, though, but she was sure he could see it on her face.

"It's not like I'm leaving here anytime soon," he told her. "And she's refusing to come here, since she doesn't really like being in Japan. I'll go visit Michael and all, but for the most part, I'll be here." She hesitated, opening her mouth once before closing it again. "So… uh… want to do this right? I mean… um…"

"Dinner at eight sounds great," she told him with a smile. She was pleasantly surprised, and he seemed perfectly happy at the request of dinner. Taking things slow wasn't really an option, but dinner was a good start for now.

* * *

The man had gotten on a train directly after leaving Tohma's office. Why he was doing all of this, he had no idea. The fact that he couldn't stand the man usually would have kept him from doing anything, but there was a deal involved. A deal most people wouldn't like, but if he'd come to him, Seguchi Tohma must have been desperate. He said he needed someone who wasn't noticeable. Who hadn't really ever been in the limelight. It was almost insulting the way he'd said it, but Ken didn't care. If it would get ASK back in the game, he was willing to try it. After all, he was accustomed to fixing what Taki fucked up.

Ma-kun and Taki had been in on the plan, but there was the fact that they stood out. Girls still came up to Taki and asked him when his next CD was coming out. Ma-kun often boasted that he had been in ASK, so people knew his name, plus he'd played for other bands sporadically. Ken, himself, faded into the background, letting the other two be the front men, while he played the silent genius in the back. He'd written everything, anyhow. Though, being almost entirely unnoticed had its advantages, quite obviously. Besides, Taki would have blown this too. He wasn't the brightest, to be sure.

After arriving in Hokkaido, Ken pulled his coat up, adjusting his sunglasses as he stared at the news building. Fake documents in hand, he pushed the door open and approached the front desk. If the company would hire him, just briefly, he would be able to read off the report and completely invalidate that Karen woman. Along with the story printed in the paper that morning, she would be out of a job because she would no longer be taken seriously. This was what Tohma wanted, though Ken supposed it was because she was only speaking the truth. Tohma was definitely a man who didn't want the truth leaked out about him. He seemed happier with exaggerated lies than what went on behind closed doors. Ken didn't blame him.

* * *

"Tohma!" Mika groaned as he pulled her to the couch in his office. "Could you please tell me what's going on?"

"Just a moment," he said, seeming happier than he had been in days. He grabbed the remote and turned the television on, switching directly to a news channel. "Watch."

Mika sighed and turned her head to see a reporter who looked very familiar. He would be far more recognizable, however, if he were still wearing the sunglasses. Instead, he was smiling as he spoke into the microphone, surprisingly well for a man she'd never heard speak in her life.

"And that concludes our update on the movements of Seguchi Tohma," he was saying into the camera. "For those of you paying attention in recent news, he has been slandered a great deal. We apologize for the misinformation you have all received and this station assures you that it will not happen again. Back to you, Kaori."

"Thank you very much, Osamu," the anchor said with a bright smile. "Investigation on the gross information reported on is ongoing. The source of such has been let go, though her whereabouts are also unknown. Now for the weather, we turn you over to…"

The television set shut down as Tohma hit the button on the remote. He set it down on the table, looking very proud of himself. Mika simply shook her head as she glanced back at the triumphant grin on his face.

"I have to admit, Tohma," she said. "Sometimes I don't know how you do it."

"You really should know by now," he said with a mischievous smirk. She gave him a look, though it was out of pure amusement. After a moment, he glanced at his watch, suddenly surprised at the time. "Uh oh. I promised Ryuichi I'd pick him up at eight!"

"Where are you two going?" she asked, lifting her eyebrows with a grin.

"A date," he said, not seeming at all ashamed.

"Oh, really?" she asked. "I suppose that makes two of us."

"Really?" he asked, his eyes lighting up. "So he took it well, I assume."

"More than well," she admitted. "I was pleasantly surprised."

"You know where you can find a babysitter, right?" he asked her.

"I'm not leaving my baby with Ryuichi," she told him.

"Well, actually, I was talking about Eiri," he admitted with a grin. "But I'd like to look after him. I could bring him into work with me and everything."

"You're not turning my baby into a workaholic," she told him, pointing an accusing finger in his direction. "I'll make sure of that. But if you want to come over and play with the baby, you're more than welcome to. I'm sure you won't be the only one, since Tatsuha's dying to be an uncle."

"Excellent," he said, grabbing his coat and opening the door for her. He paused for a moment as she started towards the elevator. "You don't suppose this will end up being a double date, do you?"

"Knowing Claude and Ryuichi?" she asked. "We can count on it."

END

Again, I'm a terrible slacker, but I really hoped you enjoyed this fic! It is finally finished! Thank you all for your encouragement through reviews, emails, PMs and even IMs. I love hearing feedback from people who enjoy my stories, so don't be afraid to drop me a line anytime! Thanks once again!

Love always,

Lily


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